When Day Ends and Night Begins
by PuppetStrings19
Summary: Bella & Edward were childhood friends before her mother took her away from Charlie right after their divorce. This story takes place when Bella moves back to Forks, is a new student at Forks High School and see's Edward for the first time in over 10 years. There will be some teen angst, sex, drugs and alcohol abuse. And there will be some lemons in the future. AH/OOC.
1. Chapter 1: Forks High School

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**********This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

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**Chapter 1: Forks High School**

"I hope you like it here, Bells." Charlie's voice cut the silence.

"Yeah, me too," I said around the bite of food in my mouth. I tried to keep the sadness out of my voice as best as I could.

We were sitting at his small kitchen table, sharing a large pepperoni pizza. I was having trouble swallowing my second slice because my nerves were causing my stomach to turn nastily. I had just arrived here in Forks only hours ago. Six months ago, my mom remarried a minor league baseball player, Phil Dawyer. He travels a lot, sometimes for weeks at a time, and I knew it made my mom unhappy to stay home with me while Phil was gone. So, I finally decided it was time to pack up my stuff and come spend some quality time with Charlie. It was March, and I'd be attending Forks High School right in the middle of the semester. I suppressed a groan. But at least Charlie was being nice about the whole thing; his sixteen year old daughter coming to stay with him after not seeing me in a couple of years. He actually seemed genuinely happy to have me.

I took a drink from my canned coke and caught Charlie's eye. He smiled softly at me and the smile stayed on his lips even after he looked away. Charlie looked much the same since the last time I'd seen him. His curly hair was a little shorter, he had probably just gotten a hair cut, and there were more grays along his temples. But he still looked very handsome. My eyes roamed over his t-shirt and arms, and I couldn't help but compare him to Phil. Charlie looked so much older, so much wiser than Phil. After all, Charlie was at least fifteen years his senior.

Charlie met my gaze once again and it was my turn to smile. Charlie rose from his seat and grabbed my plate.

"Are you gonna eat that?" He asked.

"Sorry, I just don't have much of an appetite right now. The plane ride was long," I said. I didn't mention the fact that my tummy was sick and angry, threatening to force my food back out of my mouth.

Charlie took my plate, dumping my half eaten slice in the trashcan before turning towards the sink to wash the dishes.

"Hey, dad?" I asked.

"Yeah?" Charlie's back was to me.

"So, what exactly happened last year at school? Mom told me there was some kind of trouble with some kids, which is why there are all these new rules and regulations. She was pretty vague about the whole thing. I don't think she really knows what happened there." I got up from my seat and leaned against the counter next to Charlie, sipping my soda.

Charlie sighed. "I didn't tell your mom the details because I knew she would freak out and not let you come stay with me. It really isn't that big of a deal. No one was hurt or anything."

"What happened?" I pressed.

"Some kid brought a gun to school."

I gaped at Charlie, my mouth falling open. I was surprised that even something like this would happen in Forks. This town was so small and quiet; it housed no more than three thousand, one hundred and twenty people… well, twenty-one, now.

Charlie saw my expression. "Look, the kid grew up in a broken home; a drug addict for a father and no mother. He got into some trouble down at the reservation, met some bad people and was surrounded by nothing but bad influences. He had the gun with him at school, but it didn't seem he intended on using it. His girlfriend accidentally found the gun in his backpack and called the police. We arrested him and now he goes to a correctional facility in Port Angeles."

"So that's why the school has a new dress code?" I asked.

"Well, James had a certain look about him, kind of like the other bad apples down at the reservation. Baggy clothing, bald head, tattoos. I guess Forks High wanted to try to take control of the school as much as they could after the incident. They want to keep the whole 'gang related look' to a minimum." Charlie shrugged. "There hasn't been any trouble like that before James or even after. I don't think they even use the metal detectors anymore."

I nodded.

After a minute of silence, I decided it was late enough to excuse myself, and head upstairs to get my stuff ready for school tomorrow.

"I'm gonna head up," I said.

"Sure," Charlie responded as he moved towards the living room. "I'm just gonna watch the game before I turn in. I'll see you tomorrow morning. I, uh, I'll give you a ride to school."

I cringed. "You really don't have to do that," I said. "I can walk."

I really didn't like the idea of being escorted in the police cruiser the first day of school. It was only a way to draw unwanted attention to my arrival.

"I don't mind, Bells. And anyway, it's raining out there. You'll be soaked through before you make it to the end of the block."

I sighed heavily.

"Ok," I mumbled. "Night, dad."

I grabbed my half empty can off of the counter before I headed upstairs.

"Night," Charlie called back.

Once in my room, I packed my small black Jansport with a couple of composition books, some pens and pencils, my iPod, my phone and my wallet. And then I got up and moved to the white plastic bag, which hung on my small desk chair. Inside the bag was my new uniform. Charlie had helped me purchase the uniform pieces in advance. I didn't want to be the odd one out at school, being the only student there who didn't wear a uniform for the first week. After sending Charlie my measurements, he had purchased a few sets for me to rotate through, throughout the semester. I already knew that I would have to buy another set soon, seeing as I didn't have many items to chose from and they would all end up faded and with holes in no time from being washed too often.

I pulled out the uniform and studied the blue material, before pulling off my clothes and trying on the uniform for the first time. I had to wear either a pleated skirt or tan Dickie's pants. I tried on the pants first, but they were two sizes to big. I groaned before pulling on the pleated, high waist skirt and zipping it up. It was short, maybe an inch or two above my mid thigh. But at least the skirt fit, and I had a second one to help me get through the week. I tugged on the bottom hem of the skirt, before pulling on the white button down, collared shirt. It fit fine, not too snug, and I tucked the bottom of the shirt into my skirt. And then I pulled on the blazer. The jacket was surprisingly cute and comfortable, and it fit me perfectly. It was a little short, reaching just below my waist and it was made of the same wool material as the skirt, and it was also the same shade of dark teal, with a small gold mascot patch on the chest.

I walked over to the long mirror that sat in the corner of my room. I studied the blazer first. It was nice enough on me that I probably would have worn it even if it weren't a school uniform. I opened the front of my jacket and studied the white blouse. Looks fine, I guess. But I groaned loudly again when I took in the skirt. It was short, much too short. I wasn't used to showing that much of my thigh. I turned around and studied my butt. My ass was completely hidden, but still I felt practically naked knowing my underwear could be seen only a few inches beneath the skirt. I dug through my duffle bag and found a pair of really short yoga shorts. Holding them in my hands reminded me of my mom. I had gotten these back when we used to do yoga together. That was a couple of years ago, and I hadn't worn them since.

I pulled the shorts on under my skirt and walked back to the mirror. The shorts were short enough to remain completely hidden beneath the skirt. I smiled, satisfied. I had two more pairs in my bag and would have to plan a trip to the mall in Port Angeles to buy more for school.

Finally, after unpacking some of my belongings, some pictures, decorative hanging lights for my room, some clothes, books and cd's, I climbed into bed. My room remained illuminated from the soft glow of the moon. I studied my ceiling and the lame childhood posters on the walls that had been there since I was just a kid. I felt suddenly sad and lonely as I thought about the next day, let alone the next two years that would follow here in Forks. I detested Forks and the constant rain and gloom. I thought of my mom and hoped she was happy. She was leaving to Florida with Phil in a few days. I hoped she would be ok and hoped she remembered to pick up her blouse from the dry cleaners. Thinking of my mom, my best friend, caused tears to pool in my eyes. I let a few of those tears escape before falling asleep to the sounds of rain and wind outside my bedroom window.

I woke up early, immediately keyed up and alert the next morning. I showered quickly, styling my hair in loose waves down my back, before pulling on my new school uniform. I looked myself over once more in the long mirror. I tugged on the bottom hem of the skirt; it seemed to have shrunk slightly since last night. I stared at myself for a minute. Long legs, tiny waist; I didn't know why I was so shy, there wasn't much there to be ashamed of. I was your average thin girl. I sighed before pulling on some knee high charcoal gray socks and a pair of ankle high black boots. And then I grabbed my backpack, a gray scarf and an umbrella before heading downstairs.

I could hear Charlie in the kitchen, and I tugged on the hem of my skirt again before entering.

"Morning," I said.

Charlie glanced at my over his shoulder as he poured himself some coffee. His eyes flickered to my skirt before frowning slightly. He looked away.

"Morning," he said. "Want some coffee?"

"No thanks," I said. I didn't need the extra jitters the caffeine would inevitably bring.

"There's some cereal in the cabinet and milk in the fridge. Help yourself," he said.

I served myself some cereal and sat with Charlie at the kitchen table while he read the newspaper and drank his coffee. It was nice to be able to sit in silence for a change. My mother was a morning person and would always talk my ear off first thing in the morning. Charlie was the complete opposite. He was quiet and chill. I felt content knowing that he and I could appreciate the quiet and not feel the need to fill the silence with pointless small talk.

After a few minutes, I washed my bowl and spoon while Charlie clipped on his gun and pulled on his coat. We headed out into the rain together, Charlie holding the umbrella over my head while I clung to my backpack and scarf. My thighs were already freezing. I would have to consider buying a new pair of school pants.

The drive to school was quick, and I was happy to see that the parking lot was still almost completely empty. I momentarily wondered if Charlie had brought me to school earlier than necessary to spare me the scrutiny. I didn't ask. Charlie dropped me off in front of the main building before telling me he would be in the exact same spot when I got out of school. I thanked him before pushing open the cruiser door and walking briskly towards the main door.

No metal detectors.

The main office was small and warm. I unwrapped my scarf, surprised by how warm the blazer kept me. I introduced myself to the woman at the front desk. She chatted with me momentarily, welcoming me to Forks High and saying she hoped I would enjoy my time there. I smiled and nodded politely. She handed me my class schedule, a slip for each of my teachers to sign, as well as a campus map. I studied the papers as I walked out. The hall outside began to fill with students. I glanced around, meeting curious gazes. I groaned silently to myself, wrapping the scarf back around my neck before heading back out into the rain. With my umbrella in one hand and my class schedule in the other, I made my way to my first class. I was happy to see that almost all of the girls at Forks High wore the uniform skirt like I did, though some seemed to have longer skirts than the others. Some girls wore black or grey tights beneath their skirts; I was the only one wearing knee high socks. I also noticed that many of the students wore parkas over their uniforms. I decided I needed to invest in a parka as well; the rain was harsh on my umbrella.

The boys had on similar blazers, the same shade of dark teal with the school mascot patch on the front like mine. They also had on white collared shirts, which peeked out from beneath their jackets, also like mine. The only thing about their uniform that looked different, were the pants. All of the boys wore tan colored pants; similar to the pair I had at home. I glanced around at the boy's ankles, some of them wore boots, and some wore sneakers. The cuffs of their pants had turned dark brown from the rainwater. I momentarily wondered why Forks High would want their students to wear beige pants where it rained all the time.

My first few classes went by easily enough. In each class, students would turn and stare at me or sometimes introduce themselves. It was awkward, but ok I guess. I blushed a lot and stuttered when asked questions about my life in Phoenix. In English I sat next to a small girl named Alice. She was very petite, had short crazy black hair and heavy black eyeliner. She smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect white teeth before introducing herself.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Alice Brandon." She stuck her hand out for me to shake.

I smiled at the gesture and took her hand. "Bella Swan," I said.

We were quiet during the lecture, and when our teacher dismissed us early, Alice offered to walk me to the cafeteria for lunch. She talked about the school and the students there, pointing groups of people out as we passed through the round tables in the cafeteria. Alice told me she had moved to forks only a few years ago with her mom, so she understood what it was like to be a new kid at Forks High.

"Fuck 'em," she said as we passed a group of girls who stared at me. They were all giggling, their eyes bright with recognition. "They're just starring at you because you're something new to look at. Don't worry, they'll all settle down in a few weeks. Soon, you'll be old news." Alice offered me a wide smile. Her confidence made me smile back. I decided I really liked Alice.

"So anyway," she continued as we stood in the very long lunch line, "I hang out with a small group of people. They're right over there," she gestured to a table near the back of the room.

My eyes swept across the handful of faces. There were two other girls over there and about five or six boys. And then suddenly, my eyes landed upon a head covered with wild bronze colored hair. I could see his profile.

Oh my God. Edward?

A boy next to him whispered something in his hear, and then his head turned towards me, his eyes meeting my gaze before they flickered to Alice beside me.

Is that really the Edward I remember?

The bronze haired boy met my gaze again. He stared back for a second before his eyebrows pulled together in a frown. He seemed annoyed by my scrutiny, before looking away.

I swallowed thickly. Maybe he didn't recognize me.

"Bella," I heard Alice call. The line had moved.

I grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple and a bottle of water before paying and following Alice towards her friend's table. I approached slowly, watching him, the bronze haired boy.

Was it really him?

"Guys and gals," Alice said loudly and cheerfully, calling her friends attention. "This is Bella. She just moved here." Alice gestured to me and I met many curious, but friendly smiles. "This is Rosalie and Jasper Hale," she gestured to the tall blonde girl and boy, the obvious twins. They both smiled at me and waved. "Angela Weber, Eric Yorkie, Mike Newton," Alice gestured to the thin brunette girl, the boy with bad acne, and the tall blonde boy with short spiky hair. Mike cracked a slightly flirtatious smile. "And Emmett and Edward Cullen," she gestured to the tall burly guy and the tall bronze haired boy.

Edward.

I smiled at each of them as I set my tray down, but my eyes lingered on Edward. He smiled at me, but his face held no recognition what so ever.

I was sure it was the Edward I knew, but why didn't he recognize me. Edward and I were friends once, when we were kids, before my mother and Charlie divorced and she moved me away from Forks. We were friends as toddlers. His mother's name was Elizabeth and she used to come over to our place with Edward all the time. They used to hang out with my mom and me. Our parents had met at a book club in Port Angeles. I had a picture of Edward and I in a small jewelry box I had brought with me from Phoenix. I never forgot about Edward, he was my first friend, my first playmate. I remember the first few time I came back to Forks to visit Charlie, I had been almost ten years old by then, and I had asked my mom about Edward and Elizabeth. My mom told me she had lost contact with Liz since the move and assumed Liz had moved out of Forks as well. I tried to ask Charlie about them, but he said he didn't know an Elizabeth with a son named Edward. I glanced up at Edward once again, sitting across from me. His eyes were on Eric, who was telling an animated story about a fight Mike got into down at First Beach. Edward laughed along with the others, never meeting my gaze. I knew that face, that hair, those eyes. He had to be the same Edward, yet he didn't recognize me at all. My eyes flickered to Jasper, who sat a few feet away from me. As soon as my eyes met his, he dropped his gaze looking away. I turned my attention back to my food, feeling embarrassed about being caught ogling Edward Cullen.

The bell rang soon after and Alice, Angela and I made our way towards the science building.

"What class do you have next?" Angela asked.

I dug my schedule out of my coat pocket and studied it. "Biology with Mr. Banner," I said.

"Oh," Alice said. "You have Bio with Edward." Alice peeked over her shoulder, searching the school grounds with a frown. "He could have walked you to class."

"I can find it on my own," I said. My face suddenly felt hot from my blush.

"Well, there's Mike," Angela pointed out behind them. "He has Biology this hour too."

We stopped walking and waited for Mike to catch up.

"What other classes do you have?" Alice asked as she peeked at my schedule over my shoulder.

"Um, I have Gym last." I shrugged. Only in a town this small would they make their students take Gym four years in a row.

"Me too," Alice and Angela said excitedly. "We'll see you in Gym then."

I smiled at them.

"Mike," Alice said as Mike Newton approached. "Bella has Bio too. You should walk her to class. The rooms don't have numbers on them." Alice gave me a smile before heading in the opposite direction. "See you later, Bella."

Angela waved as she walked off with Alice.

I waved back at them before turning towards Mike.

"This way, madam," he said with much enthusiasm. "So," he began, "Phoenix, huh?"

"Yeah," I responded, meeting Mike's bright blue eyes.

"I bet living in Forks is a real pain in the ass compared to Phoenix."

"I guess," I shrugged. "Have you even been to Phoenix?"

"No, but I used to live in California before my family moved us here. So, I can understand if you miss the sun and the heat."

"Cool," I said.

Mike gave me a nod, letting the topic drop.

We entered the Biology classroom, then. I looked around, taking in the black tops and stools. Mr. Banner introduced himself before signing my slip and sending me over to the single empty seat. Beside that single empty seat sat Edward Cullen. I walked over slowly and placed my backpack on the lab table. Edward met my gaze and offered a small smile. I smiled back before sitting down.

Mr. Banner began his lecture, so I pulled out my composition book and a pen. For some reason, I was hyper aware of the boy sitting next to me, though I tried my best to ignore him. As the hour slowly ticked by, I caught myself studying his every move, searching for the boy I used to know all those years ago. If I was being honest with myself, I didn't really remember him all that well. Just the way he looked, and his voice. After all, it was over ten years ago. I found myself analyzing the way his right hand swept across his composition book, as he took notes. He was using a blue pen, and I momentarily wondered if it was because he knew the fun fact that you were more likely to memorize what you've written if you wrote in blue ink. My eyes traveled up his firm forearm, exposed because his sleeve was pushed up to his elbow, and then my eyes moved up towards his face. I took in his messy hair, which fell over his forehead, his forward brow as he concentrated on his notes, his straight nose, the pucker of his full lips as he chewed on the cap of his pen. The slight stubble on his prominent jaw. My eyes slid down the curve of his back as he hunched over, deep in concentration. There was some muscle there; I could see it through the thin fabric. He was totally and completely unaware of me. He didn't look at me once.

Edward suddenly let out a low sigh before straightening up to stretch as he turned the page in his notebook. His head turned and his bright green eyes met mine. He cocked me crooked smile, catching my curious stare, before turning back to his notes. He looked away much quicker than I did, and I blushed aggressively. His smile wasn't smug, it was just an acknowledgment. And still I noticed his eyes held absolutely no interest or familiarity. Again I was surprised by the fact that he didn't recognize me at all. Not even the tiniest bit. The class ended and Edward was out of the room before I had the chance to finish packing up my stuff. He didn't say bye to me either.

I walked quickly towards the gym with Mike, my umbrella pulled low over our heads. Gym was fine, I guess. I didn't have to dress, so I spent the hour talking to Alice and Angela on the bleachers, watching the boys play basketball on the other side of the gym. Edward wasn't there.

"So, what are you doing after school?" Alice asked me as she threw a quick glance at Angela.

"I don't know. Nothing, I guess," I said.

"Well, a few of us are gonna hang out over to my place after school," Alice said. "We usually just hang out for a few hours, listen to music…" she lowered her voice, "… have a beer."

I nodded slowly. "Who's going?" I asked.

"Um, well," Alice said, looking around the gym, "usually its just Angela, Rosalie, Emmett, um, Eric, Mike, Jasper and Edward. You know, the gang from lunch."

"Um, sure. I'll go." I hesitated. "I don't really have a ride though. I still haven't had a chance to get a car yet."

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed. "Don't worry about that. We can car pool. You can ride with Emmett, Jasper, Edward and Rosalie. It'll be fun."

"Are you sure, Alice? I don't want to be a burden to take home." I felt a little embarrassed about the whole thing. I barely knew any of them, and I didn't want to ask for a ride. And honestly, the idea of hanging out with Edward made me really nervous for some reason. I still couldn't believe that he was probably the same boy from my childhood. I shook my head.

"Don't be silly!" Alice said. "We're friends, Bella. It'll be fine."

I nodded. "I have to tell my dad, then. He's supposed to pick me up after school."

"Go and call him," Angela said, gesturing towards the double door that led out of the gym. Angela turned away from me and started talking to Alice about Eric. "I don't know what's been up with Eric. I mean, we've made out a few times already. Why won't he ask me to be his girlfriend?"

I pulled out my phone from my backpack and made my way over to the gym doors. Again, I couldn't help but run my hand over my ass, to make sure my skirt hadn't ridden up. I knew I had shorts on underneath, but it didn't really ease my modesty. I felt so exposed whenever I walked around. I could feel my skirt swish against my thighs right bellow my butt. I tugged on the hem of my skirt again.

"Dad?" I said as Charlie answered the phone.

"Are you out already, Bells? I thought you didn't get out until 3."

"No, I'm in Gym right now. I was just calling to tell you that I won't be needing a ride home today. I made some friends during lunch and they offered to give me a ride."

"Oh," Charlie hesitated. "Ok, then."

"Is that alright?" I asked. I didn't like the idea of asking for permission.

"Of course, honey," he said. "That's fine."

"Ok, well, I probably won't be home too early. A few of us are going to hang out after school for a few hours." I hesitated. I felt like I was being rude, not hanging out with Charlie after my first day of school. But it wasn't like we had much of a relationship anyway. I hadn't even seen Charlie that much over the past twelve years.

"Sure, Bella. Have fun, and be safe."

I said goodbye and hung up before heading back towards Alice and Angela on the bleachers.

Gym ended soon after and the three of us walked together towards the parking lot. Angela was still going on about Eric while Alice tried to assure her that he was interested.

"Just tell him you want to go out with him," Alice said.

"But what if I do that and he thinks I'm like, too forward or something? What if I scare him off?" Angela's voice pitched with desperation.

I sighed. I never had boy trouble like this. I never even had a boyfriend before, and had never even come close to asking a boy out. Hell, I've only ever kissed a guy… once.

"You're an independent woman. Don't be so fucking shy, Ang." Alice sounded exasperated.

"I guess you're right," Angela shrugged.

From across the parking lot, I saw Edward, Mike and Emmett leaning against a shiny Volvo C30. The three of us walked over towards the boys, Alice and Angela laughing about something I didn't catch, while I stayed quiet beside them with my umbrella held over my head.

"Hey, guys," Alice called as we approached.

I watched as Mike's eyes traveled up my knee-high socks and bare thighs. I swallowed embarrassed and looked away, resisting the urge to tug on the hem of my skirt again. Alice and Angela were both wearing thick black tights under their skirts; their legs hidden safe and sound beneath the fabric.

Emmett pushed off of the Volvo and moved towards Alice. "So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"Its the same plan," Alice said with a smile. "My place in thirty minutes. My mom is working overtime."

Emmett nodded before glancing at me. "You coming too, Bella?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah, we invited her," Alice said. And then she looked over at Edward, who was perched against the driver's side of the silver car. "Hey, Edward. Do you think you can give Bella a ride?" Alice offered me a smile.

"Sure," Edward said with a nod. I met his gaze. He seemed open and friendly, not judging me in any way.

"I haven't had a chance to buy a car yet," I explained anyway. "I'm supposed to go car shopping this weekend."

"Its no big deal," Edward said. He dropped his eyes to the ground.

The rain was only a light drizzle. My eyes roamed over the wet stains on Edward's teal blazer and the dampness of his hair as he ran his hand through the thick auburn locks. I swallowed thickly and looked away. From a short distance, I watched as Rosalie and Jasper approached. They greeted us, and Emmett explained that I would be riding with them. Mike said some remark about wanting to sit in the back seat with me, but Alice yanked on the back of his blazer pulling him towards Eric's car. Rosalie, Jasper and I crawled into the small backseat of Edward's hatchback, me sandwiched between the twins.

"Hey," Emmett said as Edward sped down the road. "Let's stop at Stanley's Liquor. We need to buy beer."

"Sure," Edward said. He made a left and then a right, speeding down the wet road before pulling over behind a small shop, which read Liquor in neon red lights.

We sat for a minute while Emmett, Jasper and Edward scrutinized the pedestrians walking into the store.

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**Author's Note:**

**Hi, there. So, Chapter 2 is up as well. I wanted to give you all a taste of something I've been working on, just for fun. Looking back at some of my old fics, I've realized I struggle with angst and drama. I really want to explore that better here and not jump the gun with all of the intimacy. This story deals with teenage alcohol and drug abuse; don't read if this kind of thing makes you uncomfortable. I wanted this story to be realistic and have the raw experiences of being young and reckless, similar to the kinds of things I did as a teenager. **

**I have links to how I've interpreted Bella's uniform to look. I made a quick sketch of what I think her outfit would look like on the first day of school, the link is below. Tell me what you think. If you don't like the way I'm representing her uniform, feel free to imagine it any way you please. **

**All images will be posted on my Bio page. Feel free to take a look and tell me what you think. :)**

**Kids, drugs and alcohol are bad for you. Please don't abuse those substances, or even use them if you can avoid it. I don't want to be the cause of any mishap. Like I've said, this story is mostly for fun. There will be some teen angst, sex, drug and alcohol abuse; but nothing too dangerous, I promise. There will also be some lemons in the future.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2: Alice's House

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**********This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

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**Chapter 2: Alice's House**

Sitting in the back seat of the Volvo with four strangers was completely awkward. I tried my best not to glance around me, and busied myself by fluffing my damp hair out of my scarf and wiping away the raindrops that lingered on my bare thighs. I didn't know why I accepted Alice's invitation to hang out at her place. I wasn't desperate for friends or anything, I actually rather liked being alone.

In Phoenix, I never had a large group of friends. It was usually just me and two other girls who would hang out on weekends sometimes. My friends had a lot of other friends, however. But I had always been kind of loner. I guess I had decided to hang out with this group because of Edward. I knew he was the same boy I had been friends with as a toddler. I could feel it in my gut. And I was suspicious as to why he didn't recognize me. Part of me wondered if he was pretending, because after all, it had been over ten years since the last time I'd seen him. We didn't even know each other at all anymore. Still, I knew Edward wasn't the only reason I had accepted to hang out today. Leaving Phoenix and everyone I knew behind, including my mother, made me feel lonely. A distraction seemed like a good way to handle the situation. At Charlie's, I knew I'd sit quietly with him at dinner and then I would make my way upstairs to cry myself to sleep. If by hanging out with a group of teenagers to get drunk would help keep the tears at bay for at least a few hours, then I would gladly accept.

"What about him?" Emmett said, eyeing an old man with a black fedora.

"Too old," Edward said. His voice was low and smooth.

"Him?" Rosalie asked, pointing towards a young man who climbed off of a black motorcycle. We all watched him walk towards the liquor store. His walk oozed cockiness.

"Try her," Jasper said, gesturing to a fifty-year-old woman in a large beige coat.

Emmett pulled out his wallet before dashing out of the car into the rain. I watched as he approached the lady. He was much larger than her and I could see the sparkle in her eye, even from here, as she looked up at the young handsome man before her. Emmett smiled at her, swung his hips slightly, and then placed a hand over his heart as he threw his head back in laughter. The woman laughed along with him. I smiled at the scene. Emmett was trying to charm this woman into buying him beer. The woman nodded a few times before taking the bill from Emmett's hand and walking into the store. Emmett turned towards Edward's car and threw two thumbs up with a huge grin on his face. All four of us laughed. My eyes flickered to the rearview mirror. Edward was still watching Emmett out of the front windshield. His eyes looked bright green in the afternoon light from outside. I watched his eyes flicker around for a minute before he dropped his gaze and fumbled through a thick CD case.

"So, Bella. How are you liking Forks High, so far?" Rosalie asked.

I tore my eyes away from Edward's face and met Rosalie's curious gaze. Her eyes were a bright blue-green, the same as Jasper's.

"It's ok," I said. "I'm not really used to being the center of attention, but other than that, it was fine."

"I bet you miss Phoenix, huh?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I don't really like the cold and the rain so much. But…" I shrugged again, letting the topic drop.

"Well, if you hate the cold and the rain so much, why did you move here?" Jasper asked.

I saw Edward's eyes jerk up towards the rearview mirror, watching me.

"Well," I sighed. "My mom remarried. Phil plays minor league baseball and he travels a lot. My mom would stay home with me, but I knew it made her unhappy so… I decided it was best if I spent some time with Charlie."

The three faces nodded at me before Emmett suddenly pulled the passenger door open. He was caring a 24 pack of Coors beer.

"Coors?" Edward asked with a laugh. "Really?"

"Hey, the woman did us a favor," Emmett defended. "Give her a break."

We all laughed as Edward started the car and headed towards Alice's place. We arrived within a few minutes and I followed closely behind as we all approached the front door of a small peach house. The rain had picked up and I draped my scarf over my head, trying unsuccessfully to protect my hair. Jasper was the first to reach the door, and he pulled it open without even a knock first. We all entered and I followed as the group headed towards a stairway that led to a basement at the back of the house. I glanced around me as I followed suite. Alice's place was smaller than Charlie's, and pretty shabby. You could tell that only a couple of women lived there. The placed smelled like flowers and other female products, like shampoo or lotion. Passing the living room, I saw there was one sofa covered in a crazy floral print, some candles on a nearby coffee table, and a small flat screen. The curtains covering the windows were sheer and a light shade of yellow, similar to the ones in my room. The kitchen was small as well, and had a little breakfast table in the center with a few mismatched chairs; but it still looked very clean and cozy. Next to the kitchen was a door, which I assumed was a bathroom and then on the far side near the stairway that lead to the basement, there was another door left slightly ajar. It looked like a bedroom.

Downstairs was probably Alice's room. There were a lot of pink decorations, a small canopy bed, a large comfortable looking red sofa, a small 80's looking television, and a fluffy orange rug. I glanced around the walls; they were lined with wooden panels. Christmas lights hung over many shelves and some were nailed in a square on one wall, giving the impression of a possible window. There were posters and magazine clippings everywhere of various bands, actors, and models; some I recognized and some I didn't. There were also a few trippy posters of marijuana leaves with crazy checkered patterns in neon colors. Alice was sitting on a large purple beanbag chair, while Mike, Eric and Angela sat on the red sofa. They were all laughing and smoking cigarettes. The smoke tickled my nose.

"Finally!" Alice yelled as we entered the room.

Emmett laughed and began ripping open the box of beer as he explained to Alice why we had taken so long. He passed out a beer to each of us. I took one and cracked it open with the others. Once everyone had a drink, Alice took the half empty box upstairs to the kitchen. I watched as Jasper took a seat on Alice's purple beanbag. Rosalie made herself comfortable next to Angela, so I walked over towards the short bookcase beside the TV. I removed my backpack, sat on the fluffy rug and leaned against the many books. I crossed my legs carefully, tucking the front of my skirt down to cover my crotch. Edward sat close beside me, with his legs crossed, to my left. I watched him, but he seemed to not notice me at all. Emmett sat by Rosalie's feet, leaning against the foot of the couch. I glanced around the room as some of the guys and girls began removing their blazers, getting comfortable in the dim room. It looked like out of a movie, a handful of teenagers, smoking cigarettes, drinking beers, and wearing preppy school uniforms. It was kind of cool, and kind of comical at the same time.

I glanced at Rosalie as she pulled off her coat. She was very shapely, with long blonde hair and long legs; she was many inches taller than me. She didn't wear tights or knee high socks, but she didn't look bad either. She pulled off the preppy, schoolgirl look easily. Maybe it was her confidence? Edward removed his blazer as well and pulled out a carton of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. I watched as he pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and lit the cigarette. He took a long drag before letting the smoke escape his lips into the still air of the room. I looked away and took another drink from my beer. It was good, and amazingly cold. I gulped half of it down, and then coughed as the fizz burned my throat.

I heard Mike snicker. Looking up, I met his gaze. He smiled at me and then licked his lips as his eyes roamed over my body. I dropped my gaze, busying myself with my beer.

When Alice came back, she turned up the music as some rock band played through her stereo. She swayed her hips a bit and clapped her hands loudly, trying to get everyone's attention. We all looked up at her.

"I'd like to make a short announcement," she said. "I want to thank Bella Swan for joining us today." Alice clapped and the other's joined her. I laughed and blushed furiously. "And, as new friends, I think it's important that we all make her feel very welcomed. And of course, we must make sure she get's thoroughly smashed tonight."

We all laughed again, and I shook my head at her, a smile spread wide across my face. Alice laughed loudly; I could tell she was joking.

"Ok, maybe not smashed," she said. "But I do think its time to get this party started!" Alice opened her blazer, and tucked into the front of her skirt waistband was a half empty bottle of tequila.

Everyone roared with laughter and clapped. I laughed along with them. As the bottle was being passed around, I watched as Alice gathered a handful of sparkly decorative shot glasses from a nearby dresser and held them out for everyone to take.

"Some of you might have to share," she said. "I don't have enough for everyone."

I watched as Edward took the last one. I didn't comment. I decided I would ask Alice if I could borrow hers once the bottle got closer to me. When the bottle was passed to Edward, I watched as he poured the tequila to the rim of the glass before suddenly handing it over to me. I met his gaze.

"Here," he said. His voice was low and like velvet. "You first."

I hesitated before taking the tequila shot from him and gulping it down. I cringed and coughed as it burned its way down my throat. I took a sip of my beer to stop the bitterness on the back of my tongue. I had tried tequila before, but only a couple of times with some old friends at family gatherings. Never like this. I laughed at myself as my eyes continued to water. I looked up at Edward, who smiled crookedly back at me before he poured himself a shot and threw it back like a pro. He didn't even flinch. He swallowed quickly and then took a drink from his beer as a chaser.

Edward leaned forward onto his hands and knees towards Alice who moved to take the tequila from his outstretched hand. My eyes flickered to the creamy exposed flesh from his lower back as his shirt had ridden up. I could see the hem of his black boxer briefs peeking out beneath his tanned school pants. I glanced at the wallet straining against his back pocket and his car keys clipped to the belt loop on his hip. I could see the slight indentation of the muscle in his lower back and two small dimples above his butt. I swallowed and looked away. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn't take my eyes off Edward Cullen.

We all talked about school and our classes. Many of them continued to ask me questions about Phoenix and what it was like; many of them had never traveled outside of Washington. I talked about the heat, the way the landscape looked, the plants that grew there, the smell of the air. The girls asked about my friends and then Rosalie embarrassed me by asking about boyfriends. I blushed tomato red and admitted that I never had steady boyfriend; I shied around telling them the whole truth. I had never really dated anyone before; therefore, I had never had a boyfriend either, not even close. Mike seemed to appreciate my response. He was watching me closely and slowly he licked his lips again. I tried my best not to notice him; I didn't want to fuel the fire. I even momentarily wondered if he realized how obvious he was. But something told me he was trying to be obvious.

"So, what do you guys do here for fun?" I asked. "I mean, I'm not saying that this isn't fun or anything, because it is fun. I'm having fun. I am. I'm… just… curious?" I stumbled over my words and laughed at myself. I was definitely getting a buzz from my beer and shot of tequila. I shook my head embarrassed.

"I think Bella needs another shot," Emmett said, handing the bottle towards me.

Everyone laughed, agreeing with him.

"Uh, I don't know about that." I giggled.

Jasper laughed and said, "Oh, come on, its not even 5 o'clock yet. You'll be fine."

I nodded, still giggling and reached for the bottle in Emmett's hand. To my surprise, Edward reached out and grabbed the bottle before I had the chance to. I waited for him to hand it to me, but instead he offered me his gorgeous crooked smile before pouring me another large shot in his shot glass. I felt my blush creep up my face again as I took the glass from him.

"Wanna take one with me?" I asked, holding the glass up for a toast.

He laughed once before asking Emmett for his shot glass. Emmett handed his over. Edward poured himself a full shot, clinked it against my glass and then we gulped them down together.

"Ugh!" I gasped as I cringed at the bitterness of the alcohol. Alice cheered and laughed loudly.

"Chase it with your beer, Bella!" Alice said, crouching down beside me.

I laughed at her and took a gulp from my now warm beer.

For the next hour, we all sat around laughing and talking. Alice had me move to sit with my back to her so that she could play with my hair. She talked animatedly about some of the girls from school before Rosalie and Angela came to sit by us to join in with the gossip. I was on my second beer when the three girls around me started talking about how annoying Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory were. The girls went on and on about how gross and slutty they were. They told me stories about the rumors they had heard about the girl's sexual antics, and Alice let slip that Mike used to date Jessica last year.

"Well," Rosalie said, "I wouldn't necessarily call it dating. They were totally fucking. Mike can deny it all he wants, but I saw the way Stanley looked at him last year. She was sprung off her ass."

"Who cares?" Alice said, shrugging as she tied a rubber band around the end of the tiny braid behind my ear. "Its not like you're a virgin, Rose."

"Yeah, but I don't go running my mouth about who I've let butt fuck me," Rosalie argued.

"Who's been butt fucking?" Emmett asked with a smile on his face.

We all laughed at his expression while Rosalie waved her hand dismissively.

"I get what you're saying," Alice said. "But we shouldn't judge Jessica because of who she's fucking or what she does in the sheets."

"I don't judge Jessica on who she's fucking, Alice," Rosalie said. "I don't like her because of how she talks about sex. She has zero self respect and its really fucking irritating to listen to."

Alice sighed, and began talking about Lauren and how she had zero respect for women as well. The three girls around me gossiped in hushed voices about the men in their lives and their sexual encounters over the past few years. I frowned, again reminded of my lack of experience.

We sat there in silence for a moment as Alice continued to braid my hair. My eyes wondered around the room again, and of course they found Edward. He was sitting on the floor, smoking a cigarette as he watched the boys talk and laugh about god knows what. I noticed that Edward never really talked unless he was spoken to. He mostly kept to himself. He was polite and nice; he smiled a lot and acknowledged people, but he didn't really contribute much to the conversations around him, nor did he offer his opinion unless directly asked. I couldn't help the curiosity that sparked inside of me as I watched him. I began feeling much more curious about the person beneath the gorgeous face and polite gestures. I kept thinking about how he had poured me the tequila shots. He didn't have to do that. I hadn't asked him to. But he did it anyway because it was the polite thing to do, right? He noticed that I didn't have a shot glass, so he offered me his. I wondered if he was like that with everyone.

Edward got up suddenly and turned towards us. His eyes flickered from mine to Alice behind me. Again I noticed that his gaze held little interest in me. He simply looked at me because I was watching him. My eyes quickly slid down the length of his body. He had wide, muscular shoulders and obviously well defined arms. His collared shirt was a little wrinkled at his chest and stomach and his tan pants sat snug and low on his hips. He had full thighs, like a runner. I let my eyes fall to my hands playing with the hem of my skirt.

"Bathroom?" he asked Alice. His voice was deep and low. It sent a shiver down my spine.

"Of course." Alice waved her hand towards the stairs.

I glanced up again and watched as Edward jogged up the stairs in a few long strides, skipping steps as he went. He was tall and athletic looking. Maybe 6 feet with a slight muscular build. Not as large as his brother, though. I glanced at Emmett, my eyes roaming over the thick muscles of his arms and chest.

"Bella," Rosalie asked. "Are you wearing any makeup?" Her blue eyes ran over my face again and again.

"Not really. Just a little mascara and some tinted lip balm." I gestured to my backpack.

Rosalie's eyes went wide. "Wow, really? You have really great skin. Your complexion is so clear. You're lucky." I watched as Rosalie took another drink from her beer and then crawled over to my backpack. She unzipped the small pouch in front and withdrew a couple of makeup items. She opened the cap of my lip balm to twist out the purple-red stick. "Can I?" she asked.

"Sure," I said with shrug.

Rosalie pulled out my small compact mirror before running the lip balm across her small pouty lips a few times. She posed in the small mirror, analyzing her mouth.

"Damn," she exclaimed. "I love this stuff!"

I laughed at her and watched as she turned the stick over and over, reading the cap.

"Oo, Bella!" Angela exclaimed. "Can I do your makeup?!"

"No!" said Rosalie, harshly. "Bella doesn't really need makeup. Look at her face. She looks great and natural and real. She doesn't need all that shit on her face."

I blushed. "Thanks, Rosalie."

Rosalie laughed at my pink face. It was only then that I became aware of Edward who was sitting across from me, watching the exchange between Rosalie and I. I glanced at him, but Edward looked away before I had the chance to.

"You guys ready to go?" Edward asked, eyeing Emmett and Jasper. They both looked as tipsy as I felt.

"Sure man," Jasper said, sitting up. It was a little after 8.

We all stood up and stretched. I tugged on the hem of my skirt again; trying to make sure my ass was covered before reaching for my backpack. We all walked slowly up the stairs towards the front door; Eric, Angela and Mike were getting ready to head out too.

"Edward," I heard Alice say a little ways in front of me. "You know where Chief Swan lives, right?"

"Yeah," Edward said with nod. "I'll get her home safe."

I saw Alice smile up at him before giving him a brief hug on the front steps to her porch. Edward hugged her carefully with one arm around her shoulders. And then, to my surprise, Alice turned to Jasper and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He looked surprised, but smiled. I watched as he hung back and let the others pass him.

"Thanks for everything, Alice," I said as I passed her. "It was a great first day."

Alice smiled widely at me, before throwing her arms around my shoulders and hugging me.

"No problem, Bella," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I waved and walked towards Edward's car.

"Hey, Bella!" Angela called from the driver's side of her car. "I can give you a ride to school tomorrow, if you want. I pass your dad's place on my way to school anyway."

I accepted her offer and we exchanged our phone numbers. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alice and Jasper embrace momentarily in the doorway of her house. He kissed her and held her to him for a moment before turning and running out to the car. The rain had picked up, but I didn't really care. I was slightly buzzed and on my way home anyway. I jogged over to the car next to Jasper, where he moved in front of me and climbed into the back seat with Emmett and Rosalie. I stood there for a second, surprised before climbing in.

I relaxed into the warm leather seat next to Edward before he pulled away from the curb and raced down a few blocks. From the back seat, I could hear Emmett and Rosalie whispering, though I couldn't understand what they were saying. I kept my eyes towards the passenger window, watching the black trees fly by. Edward's Volvo was a quiet purr against the radio. I glanced down at the stereo and watched as Edward skipped through stations, stopping every little while when there was something on that he wanted to hear. My eyes flickered to his right leg, and I watched the muscle beneath his thigh flex as he maneuvered his foot from the gas peddle to the brake. We stopped at Rosalie and Jasper's place first. I was about to unbuckle my seatbelt, but Edward moved much quicker than I did. He parked and climbed out of the Volvo, maneuvering the seat to let Rosalie and Jasper out of the back.

"See ya," Jasper said, bumping Edward's fist with his own, and then Emmett's. "Night, Bella."

"Goodnight," I said, softly.

"Night guys and gal," Rosalie called as she slid out of the backseat.

I waved at them before facing forward again.

"Um, do you know where I live?" I asked Edward, cautiously.

"Yeah. Chief Swan's place, right?" He said as he climbed back into the car and pulled away from the curb.

"Yeah."

Edward pulled up to my dad's house. I grabbed my bag and then turned to face both Emmett and Edward.

"Thanks for the ride, you guys," I said with a smile. They both smiled back at me.

"Do you need a ride to school tomorrow?" Edward asked. His eyes were now on the stereo as he flipped through stations again.

My cheeks burned hot. "Uh, no thanks. Angela offered to give me a ride."

Edward nodded once before meeting my eyes. His expression was blank as I stared back at him. I couldn't believe he really didn't recognize me, when I remembered his little face so clearly in my head. Sure, it was over ten years ago, and he looked so much different now, but I could still see the small child in him. The boy I was friends with all those years ago. I opened my mouth, about to ask him if he remembered me at all…

"See you tomorrow, Bella," Edward said, halting the words in my throat.

"Yeah," I breathed. "See ya."

I jumped out of the car and ran towards the porch. Charlie's cruiser was there. Fumbling with my keys, I watched as Emmett climbed out of the back seat and sat in the front. Emmett waved once before shutting the car door. I unlocked the door and climbed inside the warm entry way as Edward's Volvo peeled out down the road.

"Bells?" Charlie asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, dad," I said.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked, eyeing my wet hair.

"Yeah, I met a lot of new people. It was really nice, actually."

"Good. Well, there's some Chinese take-out in the fridge if you're hungry."

"Thanks," I said as I removed my blazer and moved towards the fridge.

I heat up my food fairly quickly, and said goodnight to Charlie, before heading upstairs to call my mom and get started on some of the reading for my English class. My mom was ecstatic to hear from me. She asked about school and my friends. I told her about my day, but didn't mention the alcohol or Edward. I would save that for a day when I had more time to talk to her. I told her I loved her and that I would call her tomorrow. We hung up after about thirty minutes. I pulled out the small book Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev, that I was giving in class today, and started reading while I ate my Chinese food. After an hour, my mind began to wonder back to Edward. I couldn't concentrate on the literature anymore, so I shut the book and placed it on my nightstand.

I got up slowly and walk towards one of my luggage bags. I unzipped it carefully and dug through the layers of clothes. I found the box fairly quickly. I opened it carefully, knowing I hadn't opened it in a very long time. My eyes fell on a small bracelet my grandmother had given me before she died. I rubbed my finger against the smooth silver before I moved it aside and reached for the small picture buried beneath the various jewelry items. I pulled out the small photo and gazed at it.

In the photograph, we were sitting side by side on Charlie's front porch, the stairs painted freshly white. It was Edward and I. We each had one arm wrapped around each other's shoulders as we smiled broadly at the camera, our faces covered in chocolate icing. I gazed deeply into the five year old Edward's face. He still had the exact same eyes and the same messy bronze hair. My heart ached at the sight of him. Edward was one of the very few people I remembered from Forks. Even at such a young age, we had a special connection. I cried my eyes out the day my mom told me we were leaving. We had passed by Elizabeth's house the morning before we left. I didn't understand what was going on, but I knew I would never see Edward again. We held each other as I cried into his shoulder. Edward didn't understand why I was so angry.

I'll see you tomorrow, he'd said. And then he kissed my cheek.

I don't know why I believed him, but I did. We made it to phoenix that night and I woke up the next day in a hotel room, confused and scared. Mom told me we weren't going to see Charlie for a while and that we weren't going back to Forks. That was one of the hardest days of my life. I looked down at the picture again, studying his little features. How could he not remember that day? Why couldn't he recognize me? How did he forget? Maybe too many things had changed and he didn't have time to think about me anymore. I thought about Elizabeth again. I would have to ask my mother about her.

I place the picture back in the box and place the box beneath my bed. Grabbing my toiletry bag, I took a quick shower before climbing into bed and snuggling up under the covers. I lay there for an hour wondering what had happened to him. I knew there had to be a reason he didn't remember me. Did something happen to him? And I didn't know he had an older brother. Did he always have an older brother? Did his mom remarry? I thought about how Edward was acting at Alice's house today. The way he holds himself, the way he talks to people. The way he spoke to me. He offered me a ride to school, which I stupidly didn't take. I could feel myself obsessing over him. Needing to see him, hear him speak and talk to him. This impossibly beautiful boy was entering my mind constantly since I had first seen him that afternoon in the cafeteria. And now I couldn't get him out of my head. I closed my eyes, eager for a new day. A new day to talk to Edward Cullen.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Like I've posted previously, I have links to how I've interpreted Bella's uniform to look. I made a quick sketch of what I think her outfit would look like on the first day of school, the link is below. Tell me what you think. If you don't like the way I'm representing her uniform, feel free to imagine it any way you please.**

**The images are posted on my Bio page, so feel free to check them out. ;)**

**Please, review and tell me what you think! As always, reviews make me happy and I promise I will respond to each of you.**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3: The Fence

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**********This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Fence**

I woke up late the next day and dressed quickly. My hair was acting totally insane, reflecting the rough sleep I had last night. The rain was so loud and aggressive; I woke up constantly from tossing and turning. I decided to put my hair up in a messy ponytail on the top of my head and added a little bit of eyeliner to my puffy eyes. In my room, I rubbed on some of my tinted lip balm and pulled on a pair of black knee high socks and my boots. Grabbing a black scarf from my chair and forcing my schoolbooks into my bag I jogged quickly down the stairs.

"Hey, dad," I called as I entered the kitchen.

Charlie gave me a nod, his eyes glued to the newspaper.

I grabbed a slice of bread, popped it into the toaster and served myself a glass of milk. As I took my first bite, my phone beeped from within my backpack. I chewed quickly and read my text. Angela was on her way.

"Dad, Angela Weber is gonna give me a ride to school today," I said.

Charlie glanced up at me; his eyebrows raised high into his hairline.

"Is that alright?" I asked.

He studied my face for a moment. "Sure. I'm just surprised you made friends so quickly."

"She's one of the girls I sit with at lunch. She's cool and seems decent enough. She offered to drive me to school today, so I said yes."

"Ok," Charlie said. He eyed me again before turning back to his newspaper. I rolled my eyes.

Angela honked once when she pulled into Charlie's driveway. I said bye to my father before buttoning up my blazer and grabbing my stuff. Alice was in the front seat, waving at me as I walked down the driveway. I climbed into the back seat of Angela's white Toyota sedan, and we headed down the short drive to school. In the car, we laughed about the previous night at Alice's house. Angela talked more about Eric and her lack of self-esteem. She complained about not being able to ask Eric out and practically begged Alice to ask Eric for her. Alice rolled her eyes continuously, telling Angela that she needed to grow some balls. Angela laughed and continued to wine. I smiled at their silliness.

We pulled into the school parking lot and climbed out of the car. I opened my umbrella as soon as I stepped out into the rain, not wanting to get immediately drenched. As we walked towards the building, I couldn't help but momentarily scan the parking lot. Edward's Volvo was already in place. Up ahead a little distance, underneath a canopy by the English building, I saw Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie all huddled together out of the rain.

"They look like a bunch of scared kittens," Alice joked as she caught sight of them.

I laughed with her.

As we grew closer, I eyed Edward's appearance. He was wearing a black hooded, zip up sweatshirt beneath his school blazer. The hood was pulled up over his head, where beneath I could see a black beanie pulled over his hair. I smiled timidly at him when he looked up. He gave me a half smile before looking away. Mike approached us then, squeezing between Alice and I.

"Jeez," Alice complained as he pushed her aside.

He laughed and turned to face me.

"Morning, Bella," he said. His blue eyes roamed over my face, and I smiled slightly before looking away. There was something about Mike Newton that rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn't decide if it was his constant presence or the eagerness in his eyes whenever he looked at me.

Slowly, Mike raised his hand and traced his finger beneath my left eye. I blinked up at him, surprised. He smiled down at me while letting the tips of his fingers graze along my left cheek. I took a step back, but smiled, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Rough night?" he asked. He was referring to the circles under my eyes.

"Kinda," I said. Looking away again.

"You have very beautiful eyes," he said, leaning closer to me. His voice was barely above a whisper. He was trying to be intimate, but it felt more like an invasion of my privacy.

"Thanks," I said, before turning away from him to look out at the parking lot.

I stood there for a moment, gazing off into the distance, ignoring the eager Mike Newton by my side. I decided I needed to do something about him fast. He was getting way too comfortable touching me and looking at me. I didn't quite understand why he thought it was ok. He barely even knew me. My eyes flickered to Edward who was standing in front of me, leaning against the brick wall of he building. He met my gaze or a second before dropping his eyes to the ground. I frowned at his obvious lack of interest. The bell rang suddenly, so gripping my umbrella, I turned towards my first class.

"See you at lunch," I called to the group before heading through the rain towards my math class.

My first two classes were uneventful. I took notes in AP Algebra and in World History. English was third period, and I met up with Alice right outside of class. We walked in together, putting away our soaking umbrellas and removing our scarfs. It was only day two at Forks High School and I was already feeling myself fall into the familiar pattern. Alice and I sat side by side as our English teach began lecturing on our current reading. Luckily, I had gotten a small head start last night. I quietly took notes on his lecture. The class went by slowly and I found myself thinking about Edward again. I shook my head, annoyed with myself for immediately obsessing over someone way out of my league. Someone who I had known as a child and who obviously didn't feel the need to remember me at all. When the class was finally over, Alice and I packed our bags, pulled on our scarves and headed out towards the cafeteria.

"I like your hair like that, by the way," Alice said, eyeing my ponytail.

"Ugh! My hair was such a mess this morning. I had a really bad sleep," I said, rubbing my hand over my forehead.

"So I've heard."

I looked down at Alice. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Mike," she said. "I think he likes you."

I sighed, looking away from her as we stood in the lunch line.

"Do you like him?" Alice asked.

I turned to face her. Her expression was thoughtful, and in no way judgmental.

"No," I said. "Actually, me makes me kind of uncomfortable."

Alice nodded, looking away. "That's cause he's trying really hard to get your attention."

I let the conversation drop as I piled some food onto my tray. We walked back towards the table where my new friends sat and put our trays down. Alice sat beside me. I noticed none of the boys sat at our table.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

Alice looked around surprised. "What do you mean?" she said around the bite of apple in her mouth.

"The guys," I answered.

"Oh. They're over there." Alice gestured to the table behind us with her thumb. The boys sat amongst themselves, chatting, laughing and eating. "They don't always sit with us."

"Oh." I glanced over my shoulder at the boys. Edward was laughing at something Emmett was saying.

"So anyway," Alice continued. "We are all supposed to hang out again today. Wanna come?"

"What do you guys have planned?"

"Actually, we're supposed to go over to Tyler Crowley's house tonight. He has this garage in his parent's back yard. It's all stocked up, kind of like a tiny back house with electricity and a bathroom. We use it as our own little fort sometimes, if we can sneak into it, that is," Alice laughed. "Tyler's parents are kind of up tight. So whenever we go over there, we have to jump a short fence to get to the garage. Its actually a lot of fun, like a little adventure." Alice finished with a wide grin on her face. Her smile was dazzling. I laughed at her.

"Um, ok. Sure. But I wont get into trouble if Tyler's parents catch us, right? I mean, I am the chief's daughter. He'll be pissed if I get into trouble for trespassing."

Now it was Alice's turn to laugh. "Oh, come one, Bella. Tyler's parents wouldn't call the cops on us. They'll just get really pissed off at him."

"Alright then… I'm in." I gave Alice a wide smile, which she returned excitedly, clapping her hands together.

Biology was much the same as yesterday. Edward was in class before I got there, and when I sat next to him, he offered me a small smile, but didn't say anything. Mr. Banner was lecturing again, so we spent the hour writing notes. Every little while I would glance over at Edward, but he never looked at me. He seemed totally absorbed by his notes, his blue pen scraping across the pages, his lips pressed tightly together in a concentrated pucker. I couldn't help but glance down at his body out of the corner of my eye. He was much bigger than I, towering over me, even as he sat hunched beside me. I glanced down at his car keys dangling from his right hip, and I remember the strip of flesh that showed beneath his shirt the previous evening. His black hoodie fit his form snugly; I could see the shapes of the muscles on his arms, shoulders and back beneath the thin material. My eyes flickered up to the bronze hair that peaked out beneath his beanie on the nape of his neck. I sighed looking away. He was so oblivious of my staring, which I was completely grateful for.

I began to wonder what the hell was wrong with me, why this obsession over Edward Cullen became so outstanding. I guessed it was probably because I had known him as a child so I was maybe obsessing over the fact that he didn't remember me. Honestly, I didn't know what to think anymore. I sighed again, deeply; unable to take notes, let alone concentrate. My eyes stayed fixed on the white board straight ahead for the rest of the hour. At one point, I glanced up and saw Mike starring at me. His eyes flickered from me to Edward momentarily. I felt the blush creep up on my cheeks. Mike had obviously seen me starring at Edward Cullen again. I rolled my eyes and began doodling on the bottom corner of my notebook.

After Gym, Angela, Alice and I walked towards Edward's car, where most of the guys, including Tyler were huddled around. Tyler was tall with tanned skin and looked to be almost Emmett's size, very muscular with an athletic build.

"So is everyone going?" Tyler asked, eyeing me.

"Tyler, this is Bella Swan," Alice said, gesturing to me. "She just moved here from Phoenix. Bella, this is Tyler Crowley. He's the one with the dope garage." Alice smiled widely at him.

Tyler laughed and shook my hand.

We stood there for a little while longer, talking about the plans. Angela decided to skip out, since Eric wasn't going to go either. There was some talk about who would be driving. Tyler had his van, which he drove to school with Mike that morning. I gave Alice a skeptical look; she knew I didn't really want to ride with Mike. Alice caught on to my expression exceptionally fast.

"Jasper, why don't you ride with me in Tyler's van," she said. "Bella, you can go with Edward."

I turned to look at Edward. He nodded slowly, at me, silently offering me the ride. I gave him a small smile. We all parted then, Alice and Jasper walked off with Tyler and Mike. Mike through me a disappointed look as I moved towards Edward's car. I tried to ignore it. Edward opened the driver's door and pulled the seat forward, gesturing for Rosalie and myself to climb in. I hesitated momentarily, rubbing my hand against my ass and tugging the hem of my skirt down.

"Relax, Bella," Rosalie laughed, catching onto my awkwardness. "Edward's a guy. He won't mind getting a little sneak peak of what's up that skirt."

I blushed furiously tomato red and groaned under my breath as I climbed into the back seat. Emmett saw my face and laughed hysterically. I shook my head embarrassed and deliberately kept my eyes away from the rearview mirror. The drive was a little longer than expected and Emmett told me it was because Tyler lived a little out of town. We talked about music and school for a little while before we all fell quiet with nothing more to say. I felt awkward, so I pulled out my phone and texted my dad, telling him I might be a little late, and that I will see him when I get home. Then I pulled out my lip balm and rubbed it on my chapped lips. I glanced up into the rearview mirror and caught Edward watching me. I looked back at him and was surprised when he didn't immediately look away. I felt my cheeks grow pink as he watched me for a second longer before turning his gaze back to the road. I guessed he felt that it was pointless to pretend he hadn't been watching me since I had caught him anyway. My eyes flickered back towards his a few times. I couldn't help it.

"Have you ever scaled a fence before?" Rosalie asked me, picking at her nails. Her voice was low beside me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, you got all shy just from climbing into the back seat of a car. Climbing a fence in a skirt is kinda…" her eyes met mine, "…_riskay_."

I nodded understanding.

Rosalie leaned in closer to my ear. "There's no point in being modest if you are going to go through with this. Who gives a shit if these guys see your panties?" Rosalie's voice was hushed in my ear. She was trying her best to be discrete. My eyes flickered back to the mirror. Edward was watching me again. "When we get to the fence, you can't be shy. You'll just freak yourself out if you start over thinking it and it will become way more awkward. Trust me. Just jump onto that stupid fence, climb it, and be done with it. The faster its done, they quicker your ass will be out of their faces."

I turned to face her. She gave me stern look and nodded.

"Alright. Thanks for tip," I said. I could feel my stomach tighten with anxiety. "Luckily I'm wearing shorts under my skirt."

Rosalie raised an eyebrow and smiled at me before lifting the hem of her skirt. She too was wearing little black yoga shorts. I lifted my skirt as well, flashing my shorts at her with a smile. We hadn't noticed our audience until Emmett let out a low whistle. Rosalie and I looked up in surprise, our hands still holding our skirts up, exposing our goods to the boys. Edward had glanced over his shoulder as well, his eyes fixed on my crotch. The boys caught our expressions and burst out laughing. Rosalie and I couldn't do anything but laugh at our stupidity. My face was red all over again.

What the hell were we thinking?

"Aw, Bella," Rosalie said. "Do you always blush when you get embarrassed?" She ran the back of her hand against my cheek, feeling my blush.

I laughed louder and swatted her hand away from my face. This was day two, and already I was showing the boys my panties… or rather, yoga shorts.

Edward pulled up along the side of the road in front of a line of houses. All of the homes were surrounded by lush greenery, and they were all placed somewhat far apart. I glanced around at the homes. They looked strangely familiar, as if I had been there before.

"Where are we?" I asked, turning towards Edward. The four of us were standing around the Volvo, waiting for our friends to show up. I watched as Edward clipped his keys to his hip and then stretched his arms behind his head, exposing the tiniest bit of his boxer briefs and lower stomach as he scratched his head roughly through his beanie. Then he dug into his sweater pocket and withdrew his pack of cigarettes. My mouth watered at the sight of muscle on his lower abdomen.

"The La Push reservation," Edward said, lighting the cigarette between his full lips. I watched unable to tear my eyes away from him.

He caught me staring again, and I blushed beneath his gaze. He didn't appear to be affected by my inability to keep from ogling him.

"Want one?" he asked, handing me the box of Camel Lights.

"Sure," I said. Taking one. Edward leaned forward, lighting the cigarette for me. I couldn't keep my eyes from roaming over his chiseled features as he leaned into me.

The sexual desire inside of me was astounding.

I took a puff and blew it into the air. I didn't really like cigarettes, I had only smoked them a few times, but there was something about the cold damp air that made smoking look good. Or maybe it was just Edward that made smoking look good.

"Do you smoke often?" Emmett asked me. He had Rosalie wrapped in his arms. She smiled at me.

"Not really," I answered truthfully. "He just makes smoking look good." I gestured towards Edward and then blushed, surprised by my boldness.

_What the fuck is wrong with me?_ I thought.

Edward smiled crookedly before turning away.

We stood there for a few more minutes until we saw Tyler's van round the corner onto his street. They parked behind Edward's Volvo before climbing out. Apparently, they had stopped at a liquor store on their way here. Tyler lifted a large box of bottled beer onto his shoulder before walking towards us. I dropped the butt of my cigarette onto the wet concrete and then put it out with my boot.

"This way," Tyler called as he led us through the woods beside a small grey house. I followed closely behind Rosalie, Emmett and Edward.

We had only been walking for a few minutes before Mike had caught up with me. His paced matched mine easily, as he fell into step beside me. I sighed looking away from him. We didn't talk much, everyone stayed pretty quiet and I guessed it was because we were walking along the side of Tyler's house. Tyler slowed his pace and we all followed suite. We came across a small clearing, only about six feet in diameter. At the end of the small circle was a chain link fence. I took a deep breath, steadying my heart. I was so nervous. I eyed the tall fence, feeling a little pissed off that Alice lied to me saying it was a short fence. This fence was anything but a short. With a pang, I realized I had also neglected to tell Rosalie that I had never climbed a fence before.

As if she could read my thoughts, Rosalie suddenly turned her head towards me; she was standing a little over ten feet away. Her eyes found mine and she offered me a small smile. I couldn't smile back. I was scared out of my mind. I was the clumsiest person on the face of the earth and I had Mike Newton shadowing my every step. I glanced over at Mike and could practically see the doggy tail wagging behind him. He smiled broadly at me, and I suppressed a groan. Glancing back at Rosalie, I saw her turn towards Emmett and Edward to say something. A minute later, they both turned to look at me out of the corner of their eye.

Without warning, Tyler gestured for Emmett to go first.

"Hey man," Tyler said, "I need you to go first so that I can pass you the beer."

Emmett glanced at me again before saying, "Why don't you go first and I'll pass the beer to you?"

Tyler shrugged, placing the box of beer down on the ground. And then in one swift move, he scaled the fence effortlessly; clinging to it like a spider as he crawled up, looped his legs over the top and then climbed midway down the fence on the opposite side. I tried to breath past the knot in my chest.

How the fuck was I supposed to do this?

Emmett lifted the box of beer over his shoulder and then walked towards the fence. With some effort, he was able to climb the length of the fence using one hand. Once he got to the top, he swung one leg over, positioning himself before lowering the box of beer towards Tyler. Once Tyler had the box of beer, Emmett climbed back onto our side of the fence. I shifted in place nervously.

"Lets go," Mike said to me, as he placed his hand on my lower back.

I moved forward quickly out of his reach, but still he followed closely beside me. I felt so uncomfortable at that moment. I didn't know what to do or how to act. I shifted from foot to foot, my eyes taking in the height of the fence. I groaned out loud and closed my eyes, trying to breath. Thankfully, Rosalie came to my rescue.

"Hey," she breathed into my hair.

I turned towards her, away from Mike who continued to shadow me.

"How the fuck am I supposed to do this?" I groaned quietly into her ear.

"Edward and Emmett are going to help you," Rosalie said.

I looked into her eyes, surprised. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I told them you've never climbed a fence before, and they said they would help."

I searched Rosalie's eyes, realizing that she had known all along how worried I was about climbing this stupid fence. Rosalie offered me a smile before turning back towards Emmett. Alice approached me then, giving me a wide smile before asking if I was ready. I shrugged and watched as she and Jasper moved towards the fence. She climbed it quickly and gracefully, her tights covering her legs and ass from the audience down below her. Tyler hovered below Alice, ready to catch her in case she lost her grip. Alice straddled the top of the fence; swung both legs onto the other side before gracefully climbing down until her feet hit the soft grass beneath her. Jasper fallowed right after, skillfully climbing as effortlessly as Alice and Tyler before him. I watched as Jasper and Alice walked slowly towards the garage whispering to each other.

"Ready?" Mike asked again, tugging on the back of my blazer. I shivered into my scarf.

"Actually, Mike, this is Bella's first time climbing a fence," Emmett said. "I'll take it from here."

Mike looked up at Emmett, shocked and upset before looking back down on me. He stared at me expectantly for a moment, waiting for me to turn Emmett away. I didn't. I just stood there with wide eyes, looking between the two. Mike sighed loudly and muttered something under his breath as he moved towards the fence. I watched as Mike climbed quickly to the top, swiung his legs over and then climbed hastily down with a low thud as he landed on the soft ground. Mike stood next to Tyler on the other side of the fence, obviously really pissed off.

"Thanks, Emmett," I whispered as we moved towards the fence.

I met Edward's gaze, he was standing next to Rosalie watching me. He hadn't said much the entire time we had stood by the fence.

"Ready?" Emmett asked Rosalie as he walked towards her. She shrugged and then buttoned her blazer closed.

Rosalie studied the fence for a moment before she placed her hands and a foot onto the fence, preparing to climb. She was a graceful climber, kind of like Alice, though she went a little more slowly. I watched as Emmett hovered beneath her, his hands held out ready to catch her. Rosalie swung her legs over the top of the fence and departed down the other side. It was Tyler's turn to hover with his hands out, ready to catch Rosalie if she was to fall. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mike's eyes zero in on Rosalie's ass, which began to spill out from beneath her shorts. I swallowed thickly. It was my turn.

"Come on," Edward suddenly said from beside me. I turned to look at him, and I was sure he could see the fear in my eyes. He offered me his dazzling crooked smile.

"I need to tell you something," I whispered close to him.

Edward bent down to listen closer.

"I am probably the clumsiest person you'll ever know. And I just want to tell you now, I'm so sorry if I end up embarrassing you or breaking your arm or mine; because knowing me, that can happen very easily." I shut my eyes and tried to breathe deeply.

And then I felt Edward's hand on my skin as he tilted my chin up. I opened my eyes and met his gaze. He was looking at me with an amused expression.

"I'm not going to let you fall, Bella," he breathed into my face. My mind instantly began to cloud over. "I'm not going to let you embarrass yourself and I'm not going to let you break any bones." His voice was like velvet in my ears and I felt my heart accelerate with excitement. I swallowed back the moan threatening to tear through my lips.

Edward smiled again, his teeth peaking out beneath his full lips. I suddenly started to feel more relaxed. My emotions were going haywire, and I blushed from the realization of what his presence was doing to me.

I took a staggering breath and nodded against his hand. "Ok," I mumbled.

Wow, how did he do that?

Edward dropped his gaze before moving towards the fence. I watched as he scratched his head through his beanie. Edward's pants had fallen low on his hips; I could see the top curve of his butt covered in his black boxers, which were visible over the waistband of his tan pants. As if he had felt my eyes on him, Edward lifted the back of his pants slightly, pulling them back over his butt before turning back towards me.

"Ok," Edward said to me in a low voice. "I'm going to climb to the top and wait for you. I'll help you pull yourself up if you need me to. Once you're up there, I'll help you swing yourself over and then I'll climb down and wait for you at the bottom." He turned to Emmett, "Em, once I'm at the bottom you should be at the top with Bella to make sure she doesn't fall."

Emmett nodded and then gestured his hand in a circle, indicating he wanted us to hurry up. Edward chuckled under his breath before quickly scaling the fence. I watched as the muscles in his arms tensed beneath his sweatshirt, the way his thighs flexed against his pants, the way his fingers hooked the links and his Nike's effortlessly clung to the fence. He moved quickly and easily, as if he'd done it many times before. I was stunned by his grace and certainty. He was so gorgeous to watch. Once he reached the top, he swung one leg over the fence, balancing himself comfortably. Edward's eyes found me before waving his arm, calling me over.

I took a long deep breath before walking towards the fence. I tucked the front of my scarf into my blazer before fastening the buttons shut. I ran my hand over my ponytail and then offered one more pull at the bottom hem of my skirt, my hands gliding over the fabric on the front and back, securing it into place. Rosalie was right; my modesty would get the better of me.

_Who cares if they see your ass?_ I told myself. _Fuck it!_

Slowly I linked my shaking fingers into the cold metal chains and then placed my right boot in one of the holes. How the fuck was I supposed to do this? I groaned out loud, pissed at myself for being so fucking scared.

"Come on, Bella," Edward said above me. "Its really easy."

I looked up and met his gaze. He smiled down at me, trying to reassure me. I swallowed thickly before hoisting myself up and placing my left boot into one of the link holes. I took a few more steps, using my hands to hoist myself higher, when my right foot slipped on the wet fence. I squeaked loudly seconds before Emmett caught my ass in his hands. Everyone fell into a fit of quiet laughter around me. I could even feel the fence rattle slightly from Edward's weight as he laughed silently to himself. I looked up at him again, thoroughly embarrassed. I could feel the heat rise from my chest to my hairline. Edward cleared his face from laughter before reaching down as far as he could to grasp my right wrist firmly into his hand. With little effort, he pulled me up towards him, and I could feel Emmett below me, pushing me up by my thighs. I groaned, knowing Emmett was getting a full view of my ass in his face.

This is so fucked up.

I used my feet and left hand as best as I could to climb the rest of my way up the fence. Edward's hands reached for my armpits, his grip never slacking as he pulled me to the top of the fence in front of him. Once I was at the top, Edward breathed directions into my face on how to swing my legs over and steady myself. I felt stunned for a moment as I sat frozen at the top of the fence and watched as Edward climbed down the rest of the way, landing with a low thud as he dropped to the ground below me. My face flushed again knowing that Edward was now getting a full view of my backside. It was impossible not to look stupid from this angle.

Emmett climbed his way up to the top of the fence quickly before lending me a hand and helping me climb my way down towards Edward. My foot slipped again, but I managed to cling to Emmett's hand and the fence for dear life.

"Bella," Edward called softly from below me. I could tell he was trying to keep his voice down, for Tyler's sake. "Bella, just let go. I'll catch you. You're not that far up."

"No!" I groaned against my shoulder. My eyes were clenched tightly shut.

"Bella, I swear I wont hurt you," Edward called from below me.

"But I might hurt me," I whined. I felt like the biggest idiot in the world. I think I even heard Rosalie groan from beneath me.

"Bella," Edward said again. "Listen to me. I promised you already that I wouldn't let you hurt yourself or embarrass yourself. Trust me."

I glanced down at him from beneath my shoulder. He was watching me, searching for my face. He hadn't realized that it was already too late. I had already embarrassed myself. But I sighed and gave in, because for some reason, and I didn't know why, I trusted Edward.

"Ok," I breathed. "I'm going to let go."

I watched Edward's face from below me. He smiled up at me and braced himself, with his arms open ready to catch me.

I counted to three and then let go. In a matter of seconds, I fell through the cold air and into Edward's arms. He caught me easily like a small child, cradled in his arms. And then he laughed at the surprised expression on my face. I couldn't help but laugh with him. He set me down on my feet and straightened up.

"See? That wasn't so bad," he said.

"Easy for you to say," I mumbled, tugging at the hem of my skirt. "Everyone here got a nice glimpse of my ass. Especially Emmett," I said as I watched Emmett quickly climb his way down the fence. Heat burned in my cheeks for the hundredth time today. I sighed.

"Well," Edward shrugged, "It wasn't exactly a bad sight."

I met Edwards gaze. His green eyes glinted in the dying sunlight and a small smile played along the edge of his mouth. Did he just say that looking up my skirt was a _good_ sight to see? I watched as his irises moved swiftly over my face, taking in my blush. I took an unsteady breath and looked away from him. We turned then and followed our friends towards the garage.

"You know what sucks though?" I asked Edward as we walked side by side.

"Tell me," he said.

"I'm gonna have to do this all over again when we leave," I laughed quietly. "I'm really looking forward to a buzz tonight because maybe then I won't even care if I make a fool out of myself."

"Bella," Edward said. His voice was like velvet again. Cool and controlled. "You didn't make a fool out of yourself. You weren't even on the fence for that long. It took us less than five minutes to get you over it."

"Are you serious?" I asked, totally surprised. "It felt like forever to me."

"I'm serious," he said. "I'm even willing to bet that beer is still cold." Edward nodded his head towards Tyler who was carrying the box of beer on his shoulder again.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey, let me know what you think. Seeing reviews keeps me positive. **

**And anyway, if you're going to add my story to your favorite's list, you might as well tell me what you think. :D**

**I was going to post this chapter at the end of the week, but I couldn't wait. So far, its my second favorite.**

**I'm also finishing up _Unfaithful_ right now too.**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4: The Garage

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**********This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Garage**

Everyone moved very quietly, but swiftly as we past the small back porch from Tyler's house. I could already see the garage. It had a large wooden front door, which looked like it had never been opened before. It was completely covered in moss, vines and other kinds of green overgrowth. It looked abandoned and lonely. I shuttered momentarily, knowing the inside was going to be dark and wet and freezing. My eyes shifted over the group of people walking in front of me, my new friends. They all had on their dark teal blazers, except Emmett and Edward. Rosalie was wearing Emmett's jacket over hers; Emmett only had on his white shirt and a scarf around his neck. I watched as he wrapped an arm around Rosalie, rubbing his hand against her back. Mike was walking next to Tyler and I watched as he turned to glance at me over his shoulder. And then his eyes flickered to Edward on my right. I took a peek at Edward walking silently beside me; his eyes were on the ground, looking at nothing in particular.

I glanced up at the sky. I couldn't see the stars; you never could here. The sky looked grey and eerie in the dying sunlight. It was really cold, but at least it wasn't raining anymore. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, tucking my hands against my ribs. The wool blazer really did keep the heat in, which I was completely thankful for. My thighs however were a different story. I glanced down at my legs. My black knee-highs were still in place, and were doing pretty well keeping my shins warm. And my boots kept my feet nice and dry. But my thighs were freezing. I reached my hands down and rubbed my thighs for a second, trying to warm them with a little bit of friction. It didn't work.

We approached the garage, and I waited beside Edward and Jasper. Tyler walked around the side where there was another door. I heard a little click and a creak, and then everyone moved forward. Stepping over the threshold, I moved behind Jasper. We were in pitch darkness, my eyes swept over Jasper and Alice's hair and blue blazers before me. And then I peeked over my shoulder as Edward stepped in after me. I couldn't see his eyes. The light coming from behind him covered his face in shadow. I looked away.

I listened as people started whispering to each other and laughing. Tyler was rummaging around; I guessed he was looking for something. I stood there silent. And then I heard the faint click, and suddenly, the garage was illuminated by from the small lamp in the corner. Tyler had a huge grin on his face.

"Gottcha," Tyler said, before he let out a throaty laugh.

We all quietly applauded him before Edward shut the door behind us. Everyone moved around, finding a place to sit. The garage was fairly clean inside, and surprisingly warm and dry. There were boxes piled along the walls, a television, some chairs, some wooden stumps, and a small couch. The ground was cement and uneven. There was a white fridge in one corner with obscene words written all over it in various colors and thicknesses. I saw there was a smaller room set off to the side, which housed a toilet and sink.

"Hey, Tyler," I called quietly. "May I?" I timidly pointed to the bathroom.

"Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed. "Help yourself, Bella. Mi casa es su casa!"

I laughed and walked over to the bathroom. Flicking the light on and closing the door, I studied the small space. Relief washed over me to find that it was clean, properly stocked and there were no bugs. I peed quickly and then studied myself in the mirror. My high ponytail was still in place; some strands had fallen out around my face. My cheeks and nose were bright pink, mostly from the cold. And my full lips were bright red and slowly becoming more chapped. I licked them, feeling the burn. I glanced down at my clothes. My scarf was still tucked into my blazer, so I removed it from around my neck. It was pretty warm in the garage, and I wondered if there was a heater running. I unbuttoned a couple of buttons on my shirt, letting my chest breathe. And then tugged the bottom hem of my skirt down before walking out.

Everyone was sitting around now, and there were some Christmas lights illuminating the place. A stereo was on and some reggae song was playing. I watched as Tyler and Mike passed a joint back and forth; the skunky smell of marijuana filled the room. I walked over to the fridge and took a beer bottle, before walking back to the group. Mike looked up at me and offered me the joint. I glanced at Alice. Her eyes were glassy and a little pink as she patted the seat beside her on the couch, an invitation to come join her. I nodded and held up a finger.

"Sure," I said to Mike as I took the joint from him.

I put the rolled up paper to my lips and took one long drag, held it for a second before choking it out.

"Wow," was all I could get out around the coughs. I took one more long drag before handing it back to Mike. I coughed louder the second time, but smiled, pleased with the taste.

Mike and Tyler watched me with smiles on their faces. I nodded to them, still coughing as walked towards Alice.

I sat down on the soft blue couch as Alice looped her arm through mine. My body sunk into the cushions and I leaned my head against the backrest. I could feel the weed in my system, making my head a little hazy. My eyes wondered around the room, taking in the faces around me. Edward was sitting on a wooden stump with Emmett, Tyler and Mike. I watched as he took a drag from the joint. His jaw flexed as he sucked. The front of his hair had fallen out of his beanie, the color looked almost red against the black of his hat. He let the smoke out of his mouth slowly before his eyes flickered to me. He leaned his elbows against his knees, as he watched me, his chin up and confident. I felt my tummy flutter as he held my gaze. I wanted to talk to him about our childhood. I wanted to ask him if he remembered me. I knew he didn't by the way he looked at me and treated me. He didn't recognize me at all.

Alice said something to me then, but I didn't catch what she said. My head was in a fog. I did notice however when someone pulled the beer bottle from my grasp. I looked up and saw Jasper standing over me. The Christmas lights above him cast rainbow streams across his face and hair. The light was dim and I could barley see his eyes.

"Why are you upside down?" I asked. And then I chuckled at my own joke.

Jasper chuckled with me before twisting the cap off my beer and handing it back to me. I took the bottle from him and took a long swig. It burned my throat, but the icy bitter liquid felt great on my tongue. I sighed happily as I looked at Alice. She smiled back at me.

"I feel really good," I said, seconds before Alice and I broke out into a fit of giggles.

Rosalie came and joined us on the couch, sitting on the armrest next to Alice. She was still wearing Emmett's blazer over hers.

"Thanks for helping me out earlier, Rose," I said. "I really was nervous about the whole fence thing." I waved my hand airily.

"No problem," she said. "But it wasn't so bad, was it? Its kind of easy once you get the hang of it."

"Ugh!" I scoffed in a low voice. "Not really. I was so freaked out. And it was so embarrassing to have my ass in Edward and Emmett's faces." I shook my head and took another drink.

Rosalie and Alice laughed with me.

"Bella, seriously, it wasn't that bad," Rosalie said.

"And you have a very nice ass," Alice added. "I'm sure the guys enjoyed every second of it."

I laughed at the absurdity.

"I sure as hell enjoyed it," Mike said from across the room.

I looked up and watched as Mike stood slowly and walked towards us. I took another drink from my beer as he approached. I felt Alice turn to Rosalie and whisper something in her ear. Mike stood in front of me, before he leaned down and braced his hand against the backrest of the couch by my head.

_What's his problem?_ I thought to myself.

He was always so blatantly flirty with me. It was kind of ridiculous. I stared him down without amusement. I wasn't that kind of girl. Trying to get into my pants sure as hell wasn't going to be so easy, I crossed my legs emphasizing my lack of interest. Mikes eyes studied my legs closely. I felt my skirt inch up my thigh a little bit, but I resisted the urge to cover myself up. I narrowed my eyes at him when he returned my gaze. He smiled flirtatiously before licking his lips. I could see his dilated pupils in his icy blue eyes and could smell the weed on his breath. I swallowed back the nausea.

"I love your eyes," he said. That was the second time he complimented my eyes that day.

"Mike," Alice called. "Step off. Give the girl some space."

Mike smiled, flashing perfect white teeth at me. I didn't smile back. But he moved anyway, and commented on how Rosalie looked with Emmett's blazer. He teased her for a moment before sitting back down next to Tyler. My eyes accidently found Edward again, but he looked away the moment my eyes found his.

"So," I said, turning back to the girls. "You and Emmett, huh?" I asked Rosalie in a hushed voice.

She shrugged, picking her nails, but I didn't miss the small smile on her lips.

"Is he your boyfriend?" I asked with a grin.

"No," she said quietly. "We're just, you know, having fun."

I nodded. "What about you and Jasper?" I asked, turning towards Alice.

Alice looked up at me surprised.

"What?" I asked, confused by her expression.

"Nothing," she said. "You're just… very observant."

I shrugged. "Well, its not like you guys are hiding it."

Alice turned towards me, and devilish smile spreading across her face.

"Well," she whispered in a low voice. "What about you and Edward?" she asked.

I choked on the gulp I had just taken from my beer. I coughed loudly, leaning forward. Rosalie laughed. After wiping the beer off of my chin, I turned to face Alice.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in a hushed voice.

Alice raised a knowing eyebrow and looked away. She glanced at Edward, who was watching us. I got up nervously and walked over to the fridge.

"Anyone want a beer?" I asked, opening the door.

Edward, Emmett, Rose, and Mike raised their hands. I reached in and grabbed five beers before shutting the fridge door closed with my boot. I handed them out in turn. Mike offered me another flirty look, but I ignored it.

After about an hour, we were all becoming thoroughly drunk and high from the boys hotboxing the room. I had found myself over by the fridge again, struggling to read the scripture in the dim lighting. There were quotes to songs, some rude words, and some little doodles. There were even some penises. I felt that one penis in particular looked a little left out, so picking up a red marker from a nearby table, I began drawing a set of boobs next to it. My sketched boobs looked decent enough, but kind of small. I laughed at myself as I drew on the nipples, small and cute.

I heard a throaty chuckle from behind me, and turned to find Edward leaning over my shoulder watching me sketch. The wide smile across his face caused me to smile back.

"Cute," he said, before glancing down at me.

"Thanks," I mused, turning back to my drawing. "The penis looked kind of sad and lonely."

Edward frowned, nodding slowly, and then he reached for the marker in my hand. I watched as he leaned forward and began doodling on the penis. He drew little cartoon arms, one of which was grasping a sword. And then he drew the penis's balls resting on a skateboard, and little lines indicating its speed. He also drew a pair of sunglasses on the head and a thick red mustache. I laughed hysterically as the penis came to life. It was charging my innocent lady boobs.

"Not so lonely anymore," Edward said as he let out a raspy laugh. He coughed once, clearing his throat.

I couldn't help the fit of giggles that erupted from me as I stared at the tough looking penis. And I momentarily wondered if Edward had been offended by me calling the penis sad and lonely. He turned the penis into a brave warrior.

"Now my boobs look lonely," I said, meeting Edward's gaze.

His eyes flickered to my chest before looking back at my drawing. I blushed.

"Hmm," he said. And then he leaned forward and began doodling on my cartoon boobs. He drew little cartoon arms; similar to the ones he drew on the penis, only the boobs held a pistol instead of a sword. He added a small waist beneath the boobs and drew a tutu around it. Then he placed a crown on the boob's head. She looked tough as she pointed the gun at the penis. I laughed again, harder this time, doubling over.

Edward laughed with me, dusting his hands, obviously pleased with himself. I held my ribs as my laughs slowly subsided.

"That was fun," I said, looking back at the doodles, a smile still on my face.

I turned and looked back at Edward who was still watching me. I could see he was still stoned; his eyelids looked heavy and pink around the edges. He smiled at me and looked away.

"Do you want to step out for a smoke?" he asked me.

"Sure," I said.

I followed him towards the door. He opened it carefully, moving aside to let me pass first before following me out. He shut the door tightly behind him. It was raining again, but luckily there was a small canopy, which blocked the rain from hitting the doorway. Edward dug into his sweater pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He handed me one and lit it before lighting his own. We stood in silence, taking in the scenery. It was dark outside now, the only visible light coming from the slight glow of the moon through the thick clouds and the illuminated windows from Tyler's house. I shivered a little from the cold, damp air.

"Cold?" Edward asked, eyeing me.

I shrugged. "I left my scarf inside."

Edward took a long drag before handing me his cigarette. I took it hesitantly, before he suddenly turned and stepped swiftly back inside the garage. I stood there for a moment, perplexed. And then he was back, opening the door and stepping out with me. He held up my black scarf.

"Thank you," I gushed with a wide smile.

He nodded as he took his cigarette back from me and handed me my scarf. I immediately wrapped it around my neck and tucked it into the front of my blazer.

"Better?" he asked as he looked me up and down.

"Much better," I said. "Thanks."

"Sure."

We were quiet again, just smoking and looking around. I glanced up at him sometimes; I couldn't help myself. I watched as he removed his beanie to comb his fingers through his messy hair before placing it back on his head.

"So, what up with you and Mike?" he asked. His voice sent a shiver down my spine and goose bumps broke out on my skin.

I looked up at him, surprised.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by his question.

Edward shrugged, looking down at me. His eyes looked black.

I took another drag from the cigarette before answering him.

"Nothings up," I said. "I don't even really know him."

Edward nodded, looking away.

"I think Mike likes me," I said. Edward turned and held my glance. "He flirts with me a lot, and I don't know why. I don't think I'm leading him on or anything."

Edward shrugged again. "That's just Mike," he said.

I starred back at Edward for a minute before looking away. "Well, I don't know what kind of girl he thinks I am, but its gonna take a lot more than random compliments and flirtatious stares to…" I met Edward's gaze again. "To get me interested," I finished.

We stood in silence, listening to the rain while we finished our cigarettes.

"I don't even get why he's interested," I said under my breath.

I glanced up at Edward. He was looking at me again, scrutinizing my face. Edward watched me for a moment, his eyes roaming over my face and body. His expression was hungry and it made the muscles in the pit of my stomach clench while my pulse hammered through my veins. He shifted then, moving towards me. His body grew closer until it was suddenly flush with mine; the heat from his body felt amazing against me. I could feel his breath on my face as he leaned down towards me. His lips were inches from mine before he paused.

Edward stood still for a moment to gauge my reaction, letting me breath in his scent. He smelled like beer and weed and cigarettes and cologne; all mixed up together and it was the most delicious smell in the world. I parted my lips, wanting badly to taste him. His scent made my mouth water and unthinkingly, I leaned into him, inhaling. He hesitated for a moment longer, prolonging my anticipation before he abruptly, but very gently, pressed his lips to mine. As soon as our lips met, his tongue darted out, rubbing against my top lip. I gasped softly into his mouth. He tasted even better than I could have imagined. We kissed again, sucking on each other's lips and teasing with our tongues. The stubble from his upper lip and chin scraped against my face and I moaned against the sensation. I had never kissed anyone like that before. Our mouths moved aggressively, tasting each other, our teeth scraping against each other's wet lips. After a minute, or what felt like hours, my head began to swim. My hands reached up and gripped his shoulders for support.

Edward pulled away from me and I gasped for breath. We stared at each other for a second, taking in each our swollen wet lips. He dazzled my eyes.

I giggled when I heard him swallow deeply.

Edward laughed with me, obviously as high as I was. His hands were against the door on either side of my head. We stood like that for a moment longer until our laughs died down. I watched him, feeling a hunger deep inside of me that I had never felt before. He pulled slowly away from me, clearing his throat. I dropped my hands, flattening my skirt. I staggered slightly as I moved away fromt he door, embarrassing myself.

Edward laughed before he said, "We should get going."

"Yeah," I agreed. I could tell it was getting late.

We went back inside and studied the group. They were all laughing and dancing to Bob Marley. I laughed as I took in the scene. Edward turned to me.

"Maybe we should stay a little longer," he said. I laughed at him and watched as the girls called us over. I shook my head. There was no way I was going to dance with them. I could barley walk on a flat surface without stumbling over something. Dancing and I don't mix.

I grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked over to the blue couch.

"Bella," Alice called in a singsong voice. "Dance with us!"

"No thanks," I said, shaking my head and popping open my beer. I drank down half of it in seconds. I needed a moment to clear my thoughts after what had just happened outside.

I watched as Rosalie pulled on Edward's hands, towing him towards their dancing friends. He laughed a throaty laugh before spinning Rosalie once. She laughed too before wrapping her arms around his waist and swaying. He shook his head and then began to move from side to side in time with the beat, a wide smile still on his face. Rosalie nodded before letting go of him to dance on her own.

"Don't worry," Rosalie sang, "about a thing. Cause every little thing is gonna be alright."

She swayed her head from side to side as she moved towards Emmett.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as I watched them. Emmett wrapped his arms around Rosalie's shoulders as she turned her back towards him. I could tell they were all stoned. Tyler was sitting by the stereo, doing air bongos on his thigh. He wasn't wearing a shirt anymore, and his bare chest flexed as he bobbed to the beat. Mike was close to Rosalie and Emmett and he eyed them longingly. Jasper and Alice were dancing together too, though they weren't touching. And Edward. His eyes were closed and his head tilted back as he rocked on the balls of his feet and moved his shoulders from left to right. My eyes drifted over the length of his body. The black zipped up hoodie, the collared shirt that peaked out from beneath, looking wrinkled, but crisp and white. The tan pants that sat low on his hips. His gorgeous face and serene expression; and my God, those lips. The lips I had just tasted moments ago. I saw his mouth hitch up on the corner and wondered what he was thinking.

Before I had a chance to register it, I had gotten up and moved towards him. I swayed from side to side, letting my hips move in time with the beat. I didn't move much, only my hips. And I didn't dare move my feet. I watched his face, my eyes roaming over the stubble on his chin and cheeks. The light around us cast shadows beneath his eyes, nose, cheekbones and jaw. My hands shook with the urge to touch him, to place my hands on his firm shoulders again. I watched as he slowly opened his eyes. He gazed down upon me, moving slowly in front of him. His eyes held mine for a minute. With a smile still at the edge of his lips, he leaning down and took the bottle from my hand. My heart sped up as I watched him bring my bottle to his full lips and take a deep gulp. My eyes took in the bob from his Adams apple as he swallowed. His eyes roamed over my face, landing on my mouth. Edward leaned down again and pressed the bottle to my lips. My heart sped up even further and I felt a tingling all over my body. I leaned my head back and let him tip the liquid into my mouth. The edge of his mouth curved up in a crooked smile and his lips glistened from the fresh moisture still collected on them.

We stood there, still looking at each other and swaying on the spot. Edward moved more than I did, effortlessly of course. He knew what he was doing. But I kept my feet planted on the ground, too afraid of loosing my footing at a time like this. The song came to an end and we finally looked away from each other. I moved first. I walked towards the bathroom, shutting the door to collect myself. I breathed deeply as I sat on the closed toilet seat.

What the hell just happened?

I couldn't believe I had just done that. I was amazed by my bravery. We had just kissed outside and then I boldly approached him in front of our friends. And then Edward took a drink from my bottle and then offered me a drink right after him? He even held the bottle for me. I replayed it in my head, and was surprised at how sensual the situation had become. I felt myself blush. I had never felt so nervous and so excited in a boy's presence before. My body lest as if I had been electrocuted and I trembled the more I thought about him. I looked down at my hands and watched as they shook with excitement. I had never felt this way about someone before. More than anything, I wanted to touch him. The need was almost suffocating. I blushed deeper as I thought of his full lips against mine. And his tongue. I stood up and turned to face myself in the mirror. My eyeliner was a little smudged from my tired, glassy eyes. I cleaned it up quickly and studied myself for a second before exiting. Everyone was scattered about, grabbing their things, preparing to leave. I walked over to Alice who was sitting on a wooden stump waiting.

"Hey," she said, reaching for me.

I moved towards her and allowed her to wrap her arms around my waist. I draped by arm around her shoulders.

"You're so tiny!" she squealed, tightening her grip on me as she snuggled against my ribs. I laughed and secretly preyed she couldn't hear my pounding heart.

As Alice grew silent, I overheard the boys talking about how they were going to get home. Tyler was high, but he insisted he could drive Mike, Alice and Me home.

"Mike lives down the street," Emmett urged. "We'll take the girls home."

"But there are six of you and one car," Mike said, there was an annoyed edge to his tone. "Tyler can take Me, Bella and Alice home."

"Tyler is totally trashed, man," Emmett said. "And you only live a couple of blocks away. You can walk home. The six of us can squeeze into Edward's car… or maybe we'll just throw Jasper in the trunk." Emmett turned to snicker at Jasper.

Jasper laughed and through a punch to Emmett's shoulder. Mike didn't find the idea funny at all.

"What if a cop drives by?" Mike insisted. "I'm drunk and stoned. What if I get stopped?"

I watched as the boys looked around at each other. I could see annoyance written all over Emmett's face. Mike was pissing him off.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Emmett said. "You're afraid to walk home?"

"Look," Edward spoke up. "Mike, you're going to walk home. Just be quick about it. I'll drive the girls home and Alice can sit on Jasper's lap in the back seat. It'll be fine." Edward shrugged and walked away from them.

Jasper pursed his lips and followed Edward towards the door. I kept my eyes away from Edward and listened as Mike mumbled something under his breath to Tyler.

We all walked out into the rain, and I pulled my scarf up over my head. We walked swiftly towards the fence and for some reason; I was feeling a lot more brave this time around. I blamed it on the left over adrenaline from the kiss. Mike went first, then Tyler. Rosalie went next, and then Alice and Jasper. Emmett went next. He climbed quickly and balanced himself at the top before reaching a hand down to me. I laughed at myself for being the damsel in distress. Without hesitation, I clung to the fence and began to climb. I wasn't even embarrassed about my ass being exposed to Edward all over again. I reached for Emmett's hand and let him help me. Edward came right after, quickly climbing up and meeting me at the top of the fence.

"Not so scared this time?" he asked playfully, giving me his crooked smile as he swung his legs over.

I laughed a little before carefully descending. Emmett held his arms out, ready to catch me if I was to fall. I didn't. I made it down in one piece with a little "oof" as my feet hit the ground. Emmett laughed and patted my head as I moved away from the fence to give Edward some room. Half way down the fence, he dropped to his feet with a low thud. I looked over at him and offered a triumphant smile.

"What?" he asked, his smile still in place.

"I did it almost all by my self," I said, obviously very pleased.

"Almost," he nodded before turning towards the path to the road.

The walk to Edward's car was quick. We practically ran, trying to get out of the rain as soon as possible. Once the road came into view, Edward set off at a brisk jog, unlocking the doors and pulling forward his seat. Emmett followed, pulling his door open and the passenger seat up as well. Mike said something about Edward being an asshole under his breath and I heard Tyler shush him. I looked up at them and met Mike's eyes. I regretted it instantly. My acknowledgement must have given him an invitation. He ran towards me eagerly.

"Bella, wait!" he called.

I was about to step off the curb heading towards Edward's side. I sighed and turned towards Mike.

"Hey, do you wanna come over for a little bit?" he asked, hopefully.

"Uh, I-I…" I stuttered, unsure about how to answer.

"I only live two blocks away. I can drive you home after," he said.

I swallowed thickly. The rain had picked up and I felt it begin to seep through my scarf onto my hair. Mike's eyes were wide and earnest as he watched me mull over his invitation. I knew what he wanted. I could see the eagerness in his eyes. And I knew exactly what would happen if I took him up on his offer. I swallowed again and looked away from his eager stare.

"Come on," Mike breathed into my face. "It'll be fun."

"Sorry, Mike," I said. My eyes were still on my feet. "Charlie is expecting me."

I looked up and watched as Mike's face fell. And I didn't miss the way he glanced over at Edward who stood waiting in the rain for me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" I said.

Mike's eyes flashed to me again. "Yeah. Have a good night, Bella."

Mike leaned forward and hugged me, his arms wrapping around my frame for a few seconds. I stood there, my hands tucked beneath my arms, glad I didn't have to contribute to his embrace. He released me and then through a scowl at Edward before turning towards Tyler. I waved at Tyler before running towards Edward's car door. I didn't meet his gaze as I climbed in, now thoroughly soaked.

"Sorry," I hissed as I slid in next to Rosalie.

She laughed and wiped some rain off of my forehead. Alice was sitting on Jasper lap, looking at me. I could see the questions in her eyes. I frowned and looked through the window. Edward started the car and turned up the heater as he sped off towards the Hales house. We pulled up to their little white house and I watched as Emmett let Jasper and Rosalie out. Jasper gave Alice a quick kiss on the cheek before sliding out of the Volvo.

"Buy guys," I called.

Jasper and Rosalie waved to us before dashing towards their house. The rain was even stronger now and I watched as it blew at their clothes. We pulled up to Alice's place shortly afterward. She turned and gave me a hug before climbing out of the car.

"See you tomorrow," she called as she ran towards her place.

"Night," we all called before Emmett slammed the door shut.

"So," Emmett began. "Mike really has a thing for you." Emmett twisted in his seat to look at me.

I rolled my eyes exasperated.

"What? You're not interested?" he asked.

"Not in the slightest," I said, shaking my head.

Emmett laughed. "Why not? Has someone else caught your eye?"

My eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, where I met Edward's gaze. I bit my lip looking away.

"Are you really gonna talk to me about boys, Emmett?" I asked. "That's Alice's job."

Emmett laughed before turning away from me. "Ok, ok," he said.

"I'm hungry," I said after we were silent for a moment.

Both Edward and Emmett groaned in agreement. Edward pulled up to Charlie's house a minute later. I grabbed my backpack and through it over my shoulders.

"Thanks, guys," I said as Emmett climbed out.

"Do you need a ride to school tomorrow?" Emmett asked. "Or is Angela taking you?"

"Um, actually a ride would be great. Angela didn't offer," I said. I bent down to peek at Edward. "Only if you're cool with it. I don't want to be pain in the ass."

Edward shook his head, meeting my gaze. "You're not a pain in the ass," he said.

"Ok," I said to Emmett, unable to keep the smile off of my face. "See you tomorrow."

Emmett gave me a brief one-armed hug before I turned and ran towards the house. My second day of school and I was watching Edward Cullen pull away from my curb… again. I smiled and waved to them as I pushed the front door open.

Charlie was in the kitchen, fussing over some hamburgers he pulled out of a brown paper bag.

"Hey, you" I said as I walked into the kitchen. My mood was still bright.

"Hey," Charlie smiled as he turned to face me. "I go you a burger and fries. There are some cokes in the fridge," he said.

I smiled and ran over to the table. We talked about school and my friends while we scarfed down the fast food. Charlie laughed at my stories, which I purposefully edited, and seemed pretty happy about me being able to make friends so easily. I talked about the guys I hung out with and the girls too, he added comments here and there about their parents and how they all seemed to be good kids and never gave him any trouble. He laughed again at how I had only been there for three days and already I was coming home at 8 o'clock at night.

"Well, it's really mostly because of Alice. She introduced me to everyone on my first day," I said, giving Alice all of the credit and leaving none for myself.

Charlie nodded and starting talking about her mother and what a great, hard working woman she was. I nodded in agreement, remembering when Alice had mentioned her mom working over time at supermarket in town.

"Bells?" Charlie asked after a moment of quiet. "I can trust you right?" he said. "I can trust your judgment?"

I looked up at him from beneath my lashes. "What do you mean, dad?"

"You've been out late the past two days and I haven't seen you too much since you've gotten here. I know this is a big change for you and I just want to make sure you're not doing anything… dangerous." Charlie shrugged.

"You can trust me," I said, starring down at my fries. "They're good kids, and I like hanging out with them."

Charlie nodded, letting the topic drop. We talked a little more about his day at work and I told him that Edward and Emmett offered me a ride to school tomorrow.

"Alright," he said gruffly. "The Cullen's are good kids, decent family. Their father is the head doctor here, you know?" he said, his voice full of admiration.

"Oh," I said. "No, I didn't know that."

I was about to ask about Edward's mother when Charlie made a small comment about him preferring Angela driving me to school instead a couple of boys. I told him he had nothing to worry about and that I still had my pepper spray. I also assured him that no one would need to offer me a ride once I bought a car for myself. Charlie made a face when I said this, but I couldn't tell what it meant.

"I'm gonna head to bed," I said as I cleared the table.

"See you tomorrow, kiddo," Charlie said as he headed for the living room.

Upstairs, I cleaned up and then called my mom before I started my homework. Again, I pulled out the picture of Edward and I from the jewelry box. I studied it for a minute before tucking it safely away. I glanced around my room for a minute, looking at the furniture, my books piled on my nightstand and the small desk. It was already starting to look like me.

As I lay down in bed in the dark, I thought about the evening. Our shared kiss in the night, the way his lips felt on mine. I brushed my fingertips against my mouth, trying to remember the way he tasted against my tongue. I thought of how Edward had looked beneath the Christmas lights as he danced slowly to the music. My fixation on him was getting worse. I longed to touch him. I imagined the way the skin of his neck would feel beneath my fingertips. He held me twice today, though, but only when he helped me climb the fence. He didn't hold me when we kissed; instead his hands stayed glued to the door on either side of my head.

I thought about the muscles in those arms. The way his forearms looked my first day at Forks High and the way his shoulders felt beneath my touch. My mind began to bubble over with images of Edward running up Alice's basement steps or the way he looked when he climbed the fence. And then I started imagining the stubble along his jaw and the way it felt against my face. I momentarily wondered how old he was. He didn't look like he was sixteen. Maybe he was seventeen? I fell asleep to images of bright green eyes and full lips; and that was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Do you remember the first time you kissed your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or even just a boy you really like?**

**I remember the first time I kissed my boyfriend, he thought I had swallowed his lip ring. It was so embarrassing. Lol**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5: Froot Loops

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**********This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Froot Loops**

_Edward and I were sitting next to each other on the blue couch in Tyler's garage. He was watching me, not really saying anything. I stared back at him. His eyes were bright and eager as they roamed over my face and body. I could tell he wanted me. I glanced around the room, but we were alone. I could hear the Bob Marley song playing in the background. I looked back at Edward. My breath hitched and my heart began to race as he raised his hand to touch my face. Ever so gently, his fingertips caressed my cheek before gently sliding over my bottom lip. He licked his lips, his eyes on my mouth. The hunger I felt was mirrored in his eyes. And then his hand moved, slowly and carefully his fingertips traced down my neck and over my collarbone. I trembled beneath his touch; my body was on fire. And then his hand dipped lower, carefully cupping my left breast. I let out a strangled moan and leaned into his touch. There was very little pressure and I needed more._

"_Shh…" Edward breathed against my lips. _

_His hand slipped off my breast and down my stomach. Slowly, he popped open the two buttons of my blazer. I felt the fabric loosen around my waist before his hand slid against hip. I swallowed thickly and watched as his hand glided over the front of my skirt. I parted my trembling legs eagerly. Edward's fingertips grazed against my inner thigh. I fought back another moan as I shook beneath him. I felt heat on my crotch and a sudden throbbing. My skin was tingling with anticipation. There was only one place I needed him to touch me so badly._

"_Please…" I tried to say. But no words came out._

_Edward met my gaze before slowly sliding his had up my thigh. My heart beat insanely fast against my chest as I watched his eyes and felt his hand move further up my inner thigh. Slowly, he pressed two fingers against my pulsing crotch. A wave of unexplainable pleasure shot through me like lightning where his fingers touched me. I whimpered as my hips jerked against him repeatedly. I had just had my first orgasm._

I woke, startled by the sound of my alarm clock. I was sweating and shaking. My legs trembled uncontrollably and my heart was beating out of my chest. I tried to catch my breath as I turned to shut off the alarm. I sat there, trying to steady myself and gain my bearings.

_What the fuck was that?_

I could hardly move, my arms and legs were shaking so bad and I felt dizzy. Tentatively, I touched myself. My panties were soaked through and my crotch throbbed where I touched myself. I groaned quietly, remembering the feel of his fingers on me. But it was all just a dream. I shook my head, horribly bewildered.

_How did I dream something as vivid as that? Holy shit!_

I grabbed my toiletries and walked slowly to the bathroom. I took a long hot shower trying to relax my tense muscles. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had the most erotic dream about Edward Cullen. It was the first time I had ever done something like that. And I had actually had my first orgasm, from a fucking dream. I knew it was an orgasm, because what the fuck else could it be? I had never felt anything so exciting and so amazing before in my life.

Slowly, I reached down and caressed myself. It didn't feel the same as it did in my dream. How did I imagine it so clearly? I suddenly began to feel really self-conscious and embarrassed with myself.

_I had a fucking sex dream about Edward fucking Cullen!_ I yelled in my head.

_I am such a perv!_

I got out of the shower and quickly did my hair, letting it fall in soft waves down my back. And then I quickly pulled on my uniform. I decided to wear my black pantyhose today. I groaned internally, realizing how badly I needed to go shopping for a good pair of tights. I walked back to the bathroom once I had my boots on and stared at myself in the mirror. I couldn't get my dream about Edward Cullen out of my head. My mind kept roaming back to the way he looked in the dim lighting, his wet tongue darting out to lick his lips. I shuttered, feeling that familiar trembling in my lower region. My heart had picked up again and my hands felt sweaty. Images of him beneath the Christmas lights in Tyler's garage were clear as day in my head. He was so fucking beautiful. Sighing deeply, walked back to the bathroom to finish getting ready. I added a little bit of eyeliner to my eyes, some mascara and then some simple chapstick to my burning lips, which glowed red against my white skin.

A soft honk from Charlie's driveway caught me by surprise. I rushed over to my window, peering down I saw Edward's silver Volvo waiting. My heart beat on overdrive as I scrambled to collect my backpack, umbrella and black scarf. I moved hastily down the stairs, called a quick goodbye to Charlie and grabbed a pack of pop tarts before pulling the front door open. It wasn't raining yet, but I could see the ground slick with ice. I walked carefully towards Edward's car, glad to feel my leather soles gripping the ice easily.

As I approached, Emmett jumped out of the car and pulled forward his seat.

"Hi," I said as I climbed in.

"Morning," Emmett said quietly as he rubbed his eyes.

Edward looked at me over his shoulder, offering a small smile. His eyes looked bright and clear today. He must have slept well. My eyes danced over his messy wet hair and smooth cheek. He shaved this morning too. My body was immediately wired from being in Edward's presence, and I had to sit on my hands to stop them from shaking.

The drive to school was quick. Edward parked close to the school gym and we all slid out of the Volvo, heading towards some picnic tables. The sky looked gloomy, but rain free. The wind, however, was brisk as it whipped my hair around and stung my cheeks. I was happy I decided to cover my legs in pantyhose.

"I like your boots," Edward commented as we approached the benches.

"Thanks," I said, glancing down at them. My feet looked very small in my boots.

"I need some boots," Emmett commented, eyeing mine.

"They're Dr. Martens," I said. "You can get some online."

Emmett nodded, his eyes still on my feet. I turned away, awkward, looking at the parking lot as it filled with more cars. I turned back towards the boys and glanced at Edward. He was watching me. I felt myself blush under his gaze; his face instantly reminded me of my dream as well as the kiss we had shared last night. I swallowed thickly, trying to focus on anything but Edward and his lips.

"What's your first class?" Edward asked me. His voice was smooth and deep.

I looked up at him. His eyes were innocent, not too curious as he watched me shift under his gaze. We were obviously going to play it cool. After all, it was only a kiss right? I felt my heart accelerate from the sound of his voice.

I cleared my throat. "Um… AP Algebra," I said.

Edward nodded, looking away.

"What about you?" I asked.

"AP English," he said, glancing back to me.

Now it was my turn to nod and look away. I felt incredibly awkward and I hated it. I looked back at Edward. He was looking at me and smiled when I caught him. I smiled back and dropped my eyes. I pulled the pop tarts from my pack and opened the thin silver package. I pulled out one pop tart and broke it in half.

"Want some?" I asked timidly. My eyes were on Edward.

He nodded, reaching for the half. Edward's fingers grazed against mine as he reached for the snack. It was only then that I noticed how long and thick and beautiful his fingers were. I cleared my throat again, offering the other half to Emmett, which he accepted gratefully.

"There's Alice," Emmett said, gesturing to the parking lot behind me.

I turned and watched as Alice and Angela approached. They both wore similar frowns as they gazed at me.

"Hey," Angela said with a pout. "You weren't at your house today. Did your dad give you a ride?"

"Oh!" I gasped around the bite of food in my mouth. "I didn't know if you were going to pick me up. You didn't offer yesterday so… I mean I assumed you weren't going to." I babbled nervously, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry. Edward gave me a ride."

Alice's eyes flickered from me to Edward, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth. She saw me watching her and cleared her face before anyone else noticed. The bell rang then and so I headed towards my first class.

A few hours later, in English as Alice and I sat side-by-side, I kept seeing her throw me curious little glances and small smiles. I looked at her with raised eyebrows, obviously annoyed by her scrutiny. Alice fought back a smile and scribbled something on a small piece of paper before sliding it over to me.

_You like Edward Cullen, don't you_, she wrote. It was more of a statement than a question.

I rolled my eyes.

_What are you talking about?_ I wrote back

_I'm talking about you and Edward Cullen_, she wrote.

_There is no ME and Edward Cullen_. I avoided answering her statement.

Alice gave me a look, daring me to argue with her.

_He's cute,_ I wrote.

Alice smiled. She was happy I was playing along.

_But do you like him?_ She wrote.

I shrugged my shoulders. It was only my third day at Forks High and I liked how things were going. Sure, I did think Edward was totally attractive, we had shared one amazing kiss, and I even had a sex dream about him last night, cue the relentless blushing, but we were barely even friends. I didn't want to seem like some desperate lovesick child after only meeting the guy two days ago. And I sure as hell didn't want Alice to get involved so soon. And anyway, Edward and I had a history, whether he knew it or not. We were childhood friends. My feelings for him were not so easily described and they weren't the cookie cutter feelings from sappy stupid romance novels. Something was brewing inside of me and I had to figure out what that was before I started talking about it carelessly.

Alice watched me sort through my thoughts.

_Emotions are weird,_ she wrote. _You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready._

I looked up at her. She smiled at and winked at me.

The bell rang soon after and Alice and I walked towards the cafeteria together. We stood in the lunch line, grabbed some food and then headed over to our lunch table like the previous two days. Edward and the guys were at our table today. Even Mike. My eyes flickered to him as I approached a chair across from Edward. Mike saw me look at him and offered me a wide smile. I gave him a small smile in return. As I sat down, I watched as Mike rose from his seat to pull up a chair next to mine. My eyes flickered to Edward. Edward was watching Mike. His face was clear of emotion, but I thought I saw a hint of a frown as he looked away.

"Hey, Bella," Mike said, leaning close to me.

I took a large bite of my pizza in response. Mike eyed my mouth as I chewed. I turned my head away from him.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" he asked as I took a drink of water.

"Homework," I said, keeping my eyes on my food.

"Yeah, me too," he said. "Hey, maybe we can do our homework together tonight."

I looked up at him, feeling exasperated. If my face showed any kind of annoyance, he ignored it easily.

"I don't know, Mike," I said. "I don't know how comfortable Charlie will be if I have a guy come over."

My eyes flickered to Edward again, but he wasn't looking at me. He was watching Eric talk about something that happened in Gym this morning. Glancing back at Mike, I watched as he looked between Edward and me. I swallowed and dropped my eyes to my food again.

"Well, you can come over to my place," he said. "My parents wont be home."

I raised my eyebrows at him skeptically. Was he serious right now?

"I brought my car today," he continued in a lower voice. He was practically whispering. "So, I can give you a ride back home after we, uh, finish our homework and stuff." Mike licked his lips again, his eyes roaming over my face. There was a smug smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to his invitation. His eager blue eyes searched my face, waiting for a response. I couldn't tell what Mikes intentions where. A part of me wondered how innocent he was. I wondered if I did go to his house, how he would act with me. Would we really just do some homework and hang out as friends? Something in his expression made me push that theory aside. He seemed a lot more desperate; and he kept licking his lips. He didn't want to just _talk_… Mike definitely wanted more from me. More than what I was willing to offer him.

I didn't know why, but I glanced back at Edward. Maybe I was expecting him to look jealous or stake his claim, but he didn't. Edward was watching my face from the corner of his eye. He had obviously been listening. He didn't look jealous or even at all interested. It was as if I had called his name and he looked at me in response, already deciding not to answer. I frowned at him, disappointed with his lack of interest in me.

_Was I really that undesirable?_ I thought. _Did the kiss mean nothing?_

Of course that wasn't true. I was desirable enough for Mike.

Edward's eyes flickered back to Eric.

Edward did find me somewhat desirable. He had to. He asked me to come join him for a cigarette last night and asked me about Mike before he kissed me. _He_ kissed _me_. And even before the kiss, he had hesitated, waiting to see how he would be perceived. And I in no way instigated that kiss. It was all him… wasn't it? I wasn't making this shit up; at least, I didn't think I was.

I looked back at Mike, studying his baby face and spikey hair. Edward was much more desirable to me than he was. I was in no way attracted to Mike. I compared their features in my head. Mikes perfectly spiked hair, eager blue eyes, and round cheeks, versus Edward's wildly messy hair, clear green eyes and strong hard jaw. There was no competition.

"Sorry, Mike," I breathed close to his face. "I'm going to be really busy tonight." I tried my best to be discrete. I didn't really want to hurt his feelings.

The bell rang and I stood, grabbing my bag and half empty trey of food. To my surprise, Edward followed closely beside me. When I looked up at him, he looked back at me all nonchalant as if his presence was a coincidence. Once we stepped out of the cafeteria, there were suddenly loud shrieks of happiness. I looked around, watching as soft white stuff fluttered down from the sky.

"Huh," I said, catching sight of some snow that collected on a near by plant.

"Snow," Edward said, following my gaze.

"I've never seen snow before," I said, eyeing the puffs that fell from the sky.

Edward gave me a small smile. "Really?" he asked.

I nodded, my eyes staying on his. I was surprised that he was walking with me to class. We walked the rest of the way in silence, and I didn't even bother looking for Mike over my shoulder. When we entered our class, we moved over to our lab table and sat down in silence. Mr. Banner came in then and told us we had to work as partners to answer questions in our lab book. Edward and I withdrew our books and pens before starting on our assignment. Edward was really smart, a lot smarter than I was. He answered the questions easily while I worked hard to figure out the answers myself. Feeling Edward's eyes on me made me second-guess myself even more. I felt myself blush furiously as scrubbed out an answer with my eraser.

"Here," Edward said, pushing his answer sheet towards me.

"Oh, no," I said, embarrassed. "You don't need to do that."

"I don't mind," Edward shrugged.

"Really," I said again, a little frustrated. "I can answer these questions on my own."

"Bella," Edward leaned into me. "We're lab partners. We're supposed to help each other."

I glanced up into his eyes and felt my stomach flip nervously. I could smell his breath and his cologne. He smelled amazing. My eyes flickered to the small smile on his full lips and back to his eyes. He looked away, glancing down at my paper. I blushed further, knowing he was checking my answers. I cleared my throat and turned to scrub out the wrong answers with my eraser. Edward had already answered more than half of the question and I quickly copied his and filled in my own sheet.

"Thanks," I muttered, pushing is paper back towards him.

He didn't respond.

We spent the rest of the hour filling in answers, not really speaking to each other unless to ask a question. A couple of times, Edward would ask me for an answer to a problem. I had decided to work my way backwards to cover more ground. I would give him answers, happy to be helpful and when I asked my own questions, he would give me answers as well. It was an easy assignment and we finished fairly early.

We sat there for a moment, not talking or even looking at each other. I was so desperate to say something to him, but I was having a hard time coming up with anything to say. I glanced down at his hands. He was twisting the cap of his blue pen around and around. Those fingers reminded me of my dream. I cleared my throat again, turning towards him.

"So," I said as I fidgeted with my own pen. "Got any plans tonight?"

Edward looked down at me. His eyes flickered to my hair as he thought about my question. His eyes were a brilliant green, hypnotizing. I watched his irises jolt around as he took in the flyaway hairs around my head. I suppressed the urge to run my fingers through my hair.

"I don't think so," he said.

I nodded, and looked away.

"So, Phil's a baseball player?" he asked. "Would I know him?"

I looked up at Edward in surprise. I had only mentioned Phil once, in his car.

"Uh, I don't think so," I said, still stunned. "Phil recently got signed to play for the Suns in Jacksonville, Florida. He plays minor league baseball."

"Oh, right," Edward nodded, studying his pen. "What does your mom do?"

"Um, my mom isn't working right now. She's very…" I tried to search for the right word, "…eccentric and kind of experimental. She jumps around a lot between jobs and hobbies." I felt sad thinking about my mom.

"What about your dad? Do you get along with him alright?" he asked. His crooked smile made an appearance and I felt my heart flutter from the sight.

"I guess so," I answered with a shaky voice. I had to look away before I continued. "I haven't seen Charlie in a while, not since I was like, fourteen. But, we're very similar. We kind of keep to ourselves and its just, I don't know, easy for us to be around each other. Its not very often that you can sit with someone and just shut the hell up for a while and enjoy the silence." I laughed at myself.

Looking up at Edward again, I saw that he held a small smile too.

"Yeah," he agreed. "That does sound nice."

We were quiet for a moment before Edward asked me how old I was.

"Sixteen," I answered. "Aren't you?"

Edward turned to look at me. "Seventeen," he said. "You don't seem like you're sixteen," he mused.

I didn't say anything, and neither did he. The bell rang soon after our strange, but sweet conversation. He offered me a gentle, "See you later," before heading out of the door.

Gym was a nightmare today. We had to play volleyball and Alice, Angela and I cringed every time the ball came near us. We would stand around like a bunch of dorks while our instructor yelled for us to participate. It was kind of fun, until I got wacked on the head by a flying volleyball. Everyone laughed, except me.

Walking out to the parking lot, Alice began telling me and Angela that she was thinking about inviting everyone over again today.

"My mom is working overtime again," she said. "So, why not just have a kickback at my place, you know? School has been pretty slowly lately and its not like we have a lot of homework to do."

"Sure," I said. And then I groaned. "No, wait. Mike asked if I would go over to his place—"

"What?!" Alice and Angela cut me off.

"I thought you didn't like him," Alice said with a frown.

"I don't!" I said. "He asked if I would come over to 'do homework' but I said I couldn't because I had shit to do."

"Well," Alice said thoughtfully. "I'll just tell him that I pressured you into going. No big deal."

I eyed her skeptically as we started walking again. Alice winked at me before running towards Edward, Emmett and Jasper who were leaning against the shiny Volvo. I watched from a distance with Angela as Alice caught up to them and started talking animatedly with her hands. They laughed at her enthusiasm and all nodded. I smiled, secretly happy that Edward would be going to Alice's house tonight.

As soon as Eric, Mike, Tyler and Rosalie showed up, we all started making plans. Emmett said he and Edward would go buy beer, which Edward had agreed to, and so we all pulled out some cash to pitch in. Tyler offered to drive Alice and I, but we declined saying we'd rather go with Angela. Rosalie agreed too, stepping towards Angela's car. Mike gave me an annoyed look before climbing into his own car. I sighed; feeling a little guilty about lying to Mike earlier, but quickly brushed it aside as I climbed into Angela's Toyota.

Angela, Alice, Rosalie and I drove quickly to Alice's little house. We were all talking about boys and Eric again. Angela still hadn't asked him out.

"Oh, God," I laughed as we walked into Alice's little house. "I'll do it. I'll let it slip that you really like him and want him to take you out on a date."

Angela squealed with excitement and I gave her a hug, telling her it was no big deal.

Downstairs in Alice's room, we all sat down and got comfortable. I sat by the bookshelf again like last time. I removed my boots, scarf, and blazer, putting them in the corner before fluffing my hair out around my shoulders. While Rosalie shuffled through a stack of CD's, Alice pulled out a pack of cigarettes and passed it around so that we could all have one. And then, to my complete horror, Rosalie and Alice started telling Angela all about my slip on the fence last night. They told her about how obviously freaked out I was and how Edward and Emmett had to help me.

"Hey," I argued playfully. "You said they wanted to help."

"They did," Rosalie explained. "But it was still funny to watch you freak out and let them carry your ass over the fence."

Angela looked at me with wide eyes and her mouth in a big O. "Really?" she asked. "They had to carry you over?"

"Not really," I said, blushing. "Well, kind of. On my way up the first time, I slipped and Emmett had to catch me."

"By the ass," Rosalie said and we all roared with laughter.

"And then Edward had to puller her ass up the fence because she was too freaked out to continue climbing," Alice said between a fit of laughter.

We all laughed at my idiocy.

"But it was also really sweet. Edward kept telling her to just let go so that he could catch her because the poor thing slipped again on her way down," Rosalie continued. "It was so fucking cute! She stood there, hanging on to Emmett's hand for dear life until Edward finally convinced her to just fall into his waiting arms!"

I laughed covering my face while the girls Awww'd loudly.

"Wow," Angela said, wiping her eyes. "I've never seen Edward do something like that."

"I know," Rosalie said, nodding her head. "It was really sweet. He's a really great guy."

"I'm actually kind of jealous," Angela said sheepishly. "Edward's really cute… and hot."

Alice and Rosalie nodded in agreement.

"But you know Edward," Rosalie said as she played with the plush carpet by my leg. "He keeps to himself and he doesn't date."

"He doesn't date?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"Nope. He's been single ever since I've met him," she said. Rosalie frowned, her expression sympathetic.

"Why?" I asked.

Just then, we heard the front door of Alice's place open, and then the unmistakable rumbling of deep voices. Emmett was the first to come bounding down the stairs with a large case of bottle beer in his hands. Eric, Mike and Tyler were at Emmett's heels and then Edward was last. I watched him descend the stairs slowly. His beanie was back, pulled loosely onto his head. I smiled up at him when he caught me looking. He smiled back and reached for a beer. I dropped my eyes quickly; I could still feel the blush on my cheeks.

"So anyway," Alice said after greeting all the boys. "When we were ready to head back home, Bella climbed that fence like a champ. The boys didn't even really need to help her."

Angela gave me a wink. "Maybe it was the beer," she said. "A little liquor in you probably loosened you up, Bella."

I laughed and offered her a toast with my beer. She clinked her glass with mine and we took a few gulps of our beer. A few of the guys around us roared with laughter and cheered us on as if it was some kind of competition.

"Chug, chug, chug," they all called, before we even had a chance to move the bottles away from our lips.

I glanced at Angela from the corner of my eye and saw that she had began to drink her beer down quickly. I rolled my eyes and continued to gulp mine down as well, submitting to the fact that Angela and I were suddenly thrown into a drinking race.

Angela won ending the race with a triumphant, "Done!" as she set her bottle down.

I continued to finish mine before setting it down beside hers. I gasped for air, holding my chest. The cold beer burned my throat and I had to suppress a burp.

"That was good," I said as I wiped some dripped beer from my chin.

A few of the boys laughed at me before Emmett handed me another opened beer. I took a swig of that one before getting up.

"Bathroom?" I asked Alice.

She told me it was up the stairs and to my right. I nodded and walked up the stairs alone. In the bathroom, I straightened my skirt, and fluffed my hair. I even decided to loosen one more button on my collared shirt. I stared at myself for a moment; the high waist teal skirt and white, tucked in collared shirt. I looked like I was right out of a teenage boys wet dream. I laughed at myself, considering I'd had my very own wet dream only hours ago. A wet dream about _Edward Cullen_. I laughed again, evidence that a little buzz was slowly making its appearance. My cheeks were pink from the alcohol. I swallowed and turned my back towards the mirror. Everything was covered properly before I exited and made my way back down stairs.

"You are so hot," Rosalie said, watching me as I descended the staircase.

I laughed at her insanity.

"No, really, Bella!" she said loudly. "You are! You have this big gorgeous hair, big brown eyes, big full lips, and a tiny little body. You are so fucking hot!"

I shook my head at her, blushing deeply from embarrassment. No one had ever called me hot before. I looked up towards the boys who where all grouped around the stereo. They were all watching me with smiles on their faces. Even Edward. Mike and Tyler even wiggled their eyebrows at me. I blushed furiously under their gazes before turning away.

I sat back down on the plush carpet with the girls, pretending to not notice Edward taking a drag from the joint that was being passed around. But I couldn't keep my eyes diverted for long. I glanced up at Edward again, and was momentarily surprised to see him watching me. He smiled crookedly when I acknowledged him and then gestured for me to join them. How could I say no?

I rose slowly and walked over to him. His eyes followed me, quickly darting up and down my body before landing on my eyes.

"Want a hit?" he asked in a low deep voice.

I swallowed thickly before taking the joint from his fingertips. My stomach fluttered nervously as I sat on my knees in from of him. I put the joint to my lips and took a long drag, my eyes never leaving his. He watched me, his eyes roaming over my face, just like he had in my dream. I held the smoke in my lungs for a few seconds before breathing it out. I coughed a few times as it burned it way out. I took one more drag and then handed it back to Edward. I coughed more the second time as I let the smoke out of my lungs. Edward chuckled softly before handing me his beer. I took it from him and took a sip, watching him as he watched me.

I didn't know where my bravery had come from, but when I was around Edward, I felt a sense of rebellion and defiance creep into me. I liked being bad; the feeling of bold disobedience gave me a certain high, especially when he watched me the way he did. And it wasn't about seeking his approval. It was about finally being able to let loose in a safe and controlled environment. When I was around Edward, I felt free and alive. I wanted to do wild things and let my hair down, so to speak. And I trusted the people I was with, well, most of them at least.

I sat there for a minute, feeling the weed creep into my consciousness, sending a lazy haze over my brain and body. The room was very warm. I reached a hand up and combed my fingers through my hair. The sensation was amazing, the slight scraping of my nails against my scalp. A familiar rock song was playing on the stereo and I felt myself sway from side to side to the beat.

"Hey," Edward suddenly said, breaking me out of my little bubble.

I met his gaze with a smile on my face.

"You ok?" he asked. He was standing above me. I didn't even notice when he had moved.

I nodded, my smile spreading wider.

He laughed at me before grabbing my hands and pulling me up towards him. I swayed slightly on the spot, allowing his hands to steady me. His right hand felt large around my waist. I glanced down at his other hand, resting on my hip. I felt my heart flutter as reached down. I hesitated before I placed my hand over his, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my touch. I looked up and met his gaze. The smile on his lips was long gone. I watched his throat move as he swallowed.

"You ok?" I asked.

His smile returned, and he nodded.

"I'm hungry," I whined, my eyes never leaving his.

Edward moved his hands away from me before he turned to the group of girls still sitting on the rug in the corner. I looked over at them, a little surprised to see that they too were passing a joint between them.

"Alice?" Edward asked as he approached her.

Edward bent down close to her, saying something I couldn't hear. She answered him with a wave of her hand before he stood up and moved towards me. He walked a little lazily, his shoulders swaying slightly as he moved towards me. My eyes flickered to his hips, the tan pants hugging him nicely. I took a deep, staggering breath, forcing my heart to relax before it jumped out of my chest.

"There's some food upstairs," he said. "Do you want me to bring you some?"

"I'll go with you," I said, turning towards the stairs.

Edward fallowed me up the steps, quietly shadowing me. I swayed slightly on the last step and Edward placed his large hand on my lower back to steady me.

"I can't remember where the kitchen is," I whispered as we reached the landing. It was really dark.

"Its over here," he whispered back, pointing to my right. "Why are we whispering?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I said with a shrug.

We both broke out into a fit of laughter. Edward laughed hard, the sound coming straight from his gut. I giggled at him, as I doubled over, clutching my ribs. We sobered up slightly before walking over towards the kitchen. I leaned against the kitchen counter and watched as Edward moved around freely, opening cupboards as he went. Sometimes he would stop and read the label on something before returning it to its right place and searching for something else.

"Pretzels?" he asked, peeking at me over his shoulder.

"Um…" I said with a frown.

"Pop Tarts, Cereal…"

"Cereal sounds good," I interrupted. "What kind?"

"Froot Loops," he said, showing me the box.

I smiled widely. Edward studied my face before breaking out into another fit of laughter.

"What?" I asked, sheepishly.

"You are so high right now," he said as he reached for a couple of bowls. His voice was deep and husky, probably from the weed.

Edward poured two servings of Fruit Loops, filled the bowls with milk and grabbed two spoons before moving to set a bowl down in front of me. I watched him turn and lean against the counter beside me, his bowl in his hand. We looked at each other for a second before breaking out into more laughter and diving in.

"Mmm…" I moaned, taking a heaping spoonful into my mouth. "So good."

Edward smiled serenely at me, a little drip of milk on his bottom lip. We ate in silence for a moment, savoring the delicious sugary flavor and milk. I watched him closely, unable to help myself. He kept his eyes down as he scooped a large spoonful into his mouth. My eyes flickered to the beanie on his head, balancing dangerously, ready to slide off. Without thinking, I reached up and pulled it from his head.

Edward looked up at me surprised. I stared up at him, taking in his hunched shoulders and wide eyes. I swallowed deeply, feeling a sudden urge to kiss him, touch him, _anything_ him. I placed my bowl down and took a step towards him. Edward watched me hesitantly, his eyes flickering from my face to my body as I inched closer to him. I was less than a foot away from him now, my face level to his chest. I dropped my gaze, taking in his opened collared shirt. I could see his collarbone and some definition from his muscular chest beneath the fabric. I breathed deeply trying to control my heart rate.

I watched as Edward moved his arm and placed his bowl on the counter top with small 'clink', freeing his hands. I looked up at him again. His eyes were on mine, smoldering pools of jade. I parted my lips, taking a deep breath; I could taste his scent on the back of my tongue. Edward leaned forward, closing the distance between us, his chest brushing against mine. I could hear his breath come in low gasps. He pressed his hips against me, turning us, pushing me back against the counter. Hovering over me, he raised his right hand, reaching for my face. I held my breath as his fingertips brushed against my jaw. Heat flooded where his skin made contact with mine. His touch felt so amazing, even more amazing than I could have imagined. A small whimper escaped my lips as he bent towards me, his lips inches from mine. His hand slid lower, down my neck and over my collarbone. My body trembled beneath his touch and I knew he could feel it. I heard Edward swallow as his hand slid further down, ghosting against my chest until finally cupping my left breast.

His lips were on mine before my moan escaped, and I kissed him back hungrily. I didn't hesitate to touch him this time. I gripped his shoulders, forcing my chest further into his hand. It was as if Edward could read my mind, as if he had known about my dream. His left hand reached up then, gripping my right breast. I moaned, deep in my throat as his hands squeezed and his thumbs ran over my nipples repeatedly. The sensation was literally breathtaking. I gasped for air as his tongue slid against mine. He tasted sweet from the cereal. He sucked and sucked my mouth over and over, tasting me, his teeth scraping over the skin of my lips.

Fire burned beneath my skin as I reached my hands around his waist and scraped my nails up his back. His body felt amazing beneath my fingers and I gripped him closer to me, eager to feel more. Edward groaned, deep in his throat as his hands roamed over my ribcage before sliding to my back, and then hungrily down to my ass, kneading my skin roughly through my clothes.

We suddenly heard a pair of loud feet thundering up the stairs.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Boy, do I love Froot Loops. Cereal is one of my favorite foods. I can eat if for breakfast, lunch and dinner.**

**I've been updating a little too fast. The next chapter, ch6, won't be posted until Friday next week.**

**And, I'm still working on the last chapters of _Unfaithful_. I want them all done before I continue to post.**

**Don't forget to review! I love them like I love a stoned Edward Cullen on a school night... lol**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6: In My Room

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: In My Room**

"Shit," Edward hissed. He dropped his hands from my ass and moved two feet away from me.

I watched as he snatched up his beanie from the ground and straightened his shirt, seconds before the loud feet thundering up the steps reached the landing right outside of the kitchen. I tugged the hem of my skirt down and smoothed my hair before looking over my shoulder.

"Whoa," Tyler said as he came into view. "I didn't know anyone was up here." He eyed me for a minute before looking at Edward, a smug smile on his lips.

"Hi," I said, smiling back at Tyler.

I tried my best to act cool, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The truth was, however, that I was practically shaking with adrenaline.

"Excuse me," I said, turning towards the bathroom door.

I locked the door behind me and sat to pee. Glancing down at my panties I saw my sex had completely soaked through my underwear. I touched the fabric tentatively; this had never happened to me before. I suppressed a groan before pulling them back on. I looked myself over in the mirror while I washed my hands. My hair looked a little wild, my eyes were glassy and my pupils were slightly dilated, but I still looked fairly normal. My lips on the other hand looked very swollen, but I couldn't do anything about that. I adjusted my shirt. My thin black bra was peeking because a few of the buttons had come undone at my chest. I stood there for a moment, my hands resting on the bathroom sink as I tried to catch my breath and control my blushing, before going back into the kitchen. My heart was pounding on overdrive, but I tried my best to ignore it. I crossed my arms in front of me, my fists balled against my rib cage to keep my hands from shaking. I was still entirely overwhelmed from Edward's kisses.

As I walked back into the kitchen, Edward and Tyler looked up at me with wide eyes, obviously caught in the middle of saying something they didn't want me to hear. I smiled timidly at them.

Tyler gave Edward a small nudge before turning towards the bathroom.

Edward's eyes were on me as he leaned against the counter, his black beanie back on his head. For a moment, we looked at each other without saying anything and I wondered what he saw as he watched me. I kept my arms crossed tightly around myself. I looked away first, searching for something to busy myself with. There was nothing. My eyes drifted back to Edward's and he was still watching me with an unreadable expression.

"Are you ok?" I asked. I felt myself blush under his gaze.

He cracked a smile and moved towards me. The back of his hand brushed against my cheek, feeling my blush. I swallow hard, my eyes still on his.

"Let's go downstairs," he said. His voice was low and raspy.

I nodded and followed him as he left the room.

Downstairs, the music was playing loudly and everyone was dancing and being stupid. I saw the girls standing around together, swaying their hips with beers in their hands. Over by the bed, the boys were all laughing and doing weird leg moves on the floor, breakdancing I think. I laughed and moved towards them a little to get a better look. Emmett looked up then and called Edward over.

"Edward," he said. "Show Mike that move you do, the Flare."

Edward chuckled softly beside me before shaking his head 'no.'

"Come on," Emmett insisted. "Show him."

Edward chuckled again, watching the group of boys. Slowly he moved towards them, asking what move Emmett was talking about. I watched as Emmett tried to describe the move in detail. Edward nodded, making jokes about there not being enough space. Emmett, Mike and Eric moved back, trying to give Edward as much space as possible. Edward sighed modestly at their eagerness before doing a few side steps and bending into a handstand. I watched in amazement as he lifted his legs towards the ceiling. He then opened his legs while lifting one of his hands away from the ground. He balanced there for a few seconds, gripping his left ankle with his left hand. All I could do was stare with wide eyes before he landed in a heap on his back. All of the guys cheered and roared with laughter.

"Bella!" Alice called, catching my attention.

I turned to look at her. She was dancing with Rosalie and Angela, gesturing for me to join them with a beer in her hand. I approached her with a smile on my face.

"Did you see that?" I asked, taking the beer from her and taking a sip from it.

"Yes," Rosalie and Angela said in unison.

"He's so fucking hot, isn't he?" Angela said. Her voice was practically a growl.

I glanced over at her in surprise. Here eyes were shining with excitement. She was obviously pretty drunk and high. I didn't know why I felt annoyed by her comment. It almost felt like an insult to me. Maybe it was because only moments ago I had been upstairs with Edward, kissing against the kitchen counter. But Angela didn't know that. No one did. We were alone up there. I blushed as I thought about his hot wet lips, eager hands, and firm shoulders.

"I thought you were into Eric," I muttered.

"I am," Angela said, under her breath. "But I can't deny the fact that Edward is way fucking hotter than him. I mean fuck. Look at him!"

I glanced back at Edward and watched as he removed his white collared shirt. Underneath he had on a snug black V-neck. The guys were egging him on to do the move again and I watched as shook his right arm, loosening the muscles, before bending into another handstand. I couldn't look away. I watched as his arms flexed beneath him, the muscles bulging as he steadied himself before opening his legs, lifting his left arm and lowering himself into the breakdance move. As he moved, his black t-shirt slipped from his waist towards his chest, and my eyes roamed over his now exposed torso and red boxer briefs. _Hans_ read black and bold on the waistband. I felt a flutter in my lower stomach as I watched him. His body was amazing. I could see the lines of muscle that traveld down his stomach and pelvis.

"Fuck," Angela groaned beside me.

I looked over at her.

Her eyes danced over Edward naked torso, eating him up. My eyes flickered to Alice. She was watching me, studying my face. I saw her mouth twist in a slight frown before turning towards Angela. I was confused by her expression and momentarily wondered if my face showed some sign of displeasure.

"Hey, Ang. Pass me a beer," Alice said.

Angela licked her lips before tearing her eyes away from Edward and retrieving a beer from the box.

"Edward seems different," Angela said as she handed Alice the beer. Her eyes were back on Edward.

"He's not as..." Angela continued.

"Reserved," Rosalie said, finishing Angela's sentence. "I know. I've noticed it too."

I glanced at Rosalie and saw her watching Edward with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Yeah," Angela agreed. "Not as reserved. He seems a lot more fun today. Like he's not holding back. He's usually really quiet and keeps to himself."

Rosalie nodded, her eyes still on Edward. "I know," she said. "I've known Edward since we were kids and he's always been so reserved."

Rosalie caught me watching her and she rushed to explain her statement.

"I'm not saying theirs anything wrong with that," she continued. "Edward's a great guy. He's sweet, he's funny, he's great to be around. Its just... he doesn't usually let loose like this."

"Jeez," Alice said, her lips still on her beer bottle. "You make him sound so prudish."

Rosalie snorted. "Well, you would know first hand that Edward's not prudish."

Alice laughed; her musical voice traveling through the room.

I tried to take in what Rosalie was saying about Edward being shy, and reserved. I was confused by her analysis. She had called him reserved, yet made a condescending sound at the idea of Edward being opposed to engaging in activity. She did say Alice knew first hand that Edward wasn't 'prudish.' Did that mean Alice and Edward have hooked up or something? I thought about the word 'prudish' and all I could relate it to was sex. Did this mean Alice and Edward have had sex?

"You used to date Edward?" I asked Alice in a low voice.

Alice's eyes went wide. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "I just... walked in on him with a girl once."

Alice's eyes flickered to Rosalies and they both burst out laughing. I was confused by their exchange and wondered what it was that she caught him doing. My eyes flickered back to Edward and a small smile tugged at my lips as I watched him. He was leaning against the railing on Alice's bed, his arms crossed in front of him as he watched the boys do hand stands. Edward seemed fairly confident to me. I mean, he had been the one to instigated two make out sessions with me. I tried to force back my smile, as I thought about our kiss upstairs in Alice's kitchen. I could still feel his hands on my breasts and the way his body felt beneath my fingers. I wanted more of him, so badly. I felt myself blush as I replayed the kiss in my head.

Just then, I heard my phone beep from inside of my backpack. I rushed over to it, pulling it out. It was my mom, asking me where I was. I flipped the phone open; my mom had called me four times.

"Sorry," I said, moving away from the girls to head upstairs.

On my way up, I ran into Tyler who was eating a bowl of cereal. I laughed when I saw him. He looked up at me in surprise, and then smiled around a full mouth.

"Good, huh?" I asked, giggling at his expression.

He nodded before setting his bowl down and walking over to me.

"Where are you going?" he asked as he followed me into the living room. I paused, noticing the way he checked me up and down.

"Uh, I've got to make a phone call," I said.

"Your boyfriend?" he asked. I didn't miss the way his eyes flickered to my chest.

"My mother," I said pointedly.

"Your boyfriend doesn't call you when you're out late with friends?" Tyler asked. He licked his lips.

"I don't have a… boyfriend," I said, hesitantly.

He cocked a smile at me before turning around and heading down stairs. I stared after him for a moment, totally bewildered. I didn't know if the exchange was creepy because of him or if it was creepy because I was still a little high and possibly paranoid.

I walked over to the small couch in the living room and dialed my mother's phone number.

"Hey, baby!" she said. I could hear the excitement in her voice.

"Hey, mom," I said. "What's up? You called me like, three or four times."

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you. Baby, we found this big beautiful house in Jacksonville. It has four bedrooms; you'd even have your own bathroom. Honey, you are going to love it here—"

"Mom," I said surprised, cutting her off. "I want to live in Forks."

"What?" she asked after a long pause. She sounded totally confused.

"I want to live in Forks."

"But, I thought you hated Forks," she said. I could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Its not so bad," I murmured. "I kind of like it here now. I've made some friends and my classes aren't so bad."

"Baby, you've only been there for four days," she said. "What could have possibly happened in four days to make you want to stay there?"

I sighed. "I just… need to be on my own for a while. Charlie and I get along really great and I have my own space. I'm kind of liking the way things are turning out." I tried my best to keep the desperation out of my voice.

"Did you meet someone? Would a boy have anything to do with this?"

"No," I said, confused by her question. "I'm just really liking Forks."

"Okay," she sighed, defeated. "Well, I have to get back to Phil. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too," I said and then I hung up.

I sat there for a minute longer, going over my decision. I knew there was no point in changing my mind now. I had made the decision even before I realized it. It was true that Charlie and I were getting along, and I really did have my own space now. I liked the idea of being able to figure myself out and grow as a person, all on my own. I wanted to have new experiences and hang out with my new friends. I was currently experiencing something I had never experienced before. I was excited about what the rest of the year would bring with this new group of people in my life. So far, I've been in school for three days and I've already done things I never would have expected myself to do. I was actually beginning to enjoy myself and live a little. And when my mom asked if my decision had something to do with a boy, I couldn't help but be totally confused by that question. No, I didn't want to stay because of Edward. I mean, yeah, I was totally mesmerized by this mysterious guy and I was steadily becoming obsessed with figuring him out. But he wasn't the only reason why I wanted to stay in Forks... was he? Edward. He had this enigma about him that I still needed to figure out. Who he is? What happened to him after I left? Why didn't he remember me when I remembered him so clearly? I knew it was stupid to plague my mind over the fact that he didn't remember me. Hell, I was sure there were people I didn't remember from grade school. But after all this time, Edward always held a constant place in my mind. I never forgot about him and I didn't really understand why that was. What was so special about that bronze haired boy?

I clicked my phone back on and checked the time. It was already after 8. Charlie would be pissed if I got home any later. I took a deep breath. I could still feel the aftermath of the alcohol and weed in my system, but I was steadily becoming more sober. I had to go. I walked over to the window and glanced outside. The rain had stopped, but the ground looked slick with ice. I touched my fingertips to the glass and flinched. It was cold as ice out there.

Walking back down stairs I glanced around. Everyone looked pretty wasted; everyone except Edward, Emmett and Mike. I made eye contact with Jasper; he was sitting on Alice's purple beanbag chair with Alice in his lap. He smiled at me before whispering something into Alice's ear. She looked over at me, smiled and then frowned. I wondered what my face looked like. She sat up and walked over to me.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I have to go," I said. "Its getting late and Charlie will be pissed if I don't get home soon."

"Ok," she said, looking around the room. Almost everyone was high or drunk.

"I can walk, Alice," I said. "Its not a big deal."

She turned to glare at me. "Are you insane?" she said. "There's no fucking way you're walking home."

"What's going on?" Jasper said, walking over to us.

"Bella has to go, but everyone is trashed," Alice complained.

"It's really not a big deal," I urged. "I don't mind walking. Really."

The idea of Alice and Jasper trying to find me a ride home made me really uncomfortable. I wasn't used to people worrying about me. I could take care of myself.

"Mike's not drunk," Jasper said. "Hey, Mi—!"

Alice clasped her hand over his mouth, cutting him off.

"What the heck, Alice?" he laughed as he pried Alice's fingers from his mouth.

Mike looked up and walked over to us. My eyes flickered from him to Edward who was sitting on the floor next to Eric, Tyler and Emmett. He was watching me, his eyebrows pulled together in concern.

"What's up?" Mike asked loudly as he approached me. I watched his eyes check me up and down.

"Nothing," I said, before Jasper had the chance to interrupt me.

Mike gave me a smug smile before draping an arm over my shoulder. I sighed and tried to discreetly pull away.

"Bella, are you having a good time?" Mike asked, his mouth close to my ear.

I rolled my eyes and unwrapped myself from around his arm.

"I've gotta go," I groaned.

I walked over to my stuff, pulling on my blazer and boots. I met Edward's gaze as I wrapped my scarf snugly around my neck. Edward got up from beside Eric and walked toward me. I watched the way his shoulder's swayed as he moved. Something at the edge of his left sleeve caught my attention. It looked like a dark black line, maybe a piece of thread? I looked away, gathering up my backpack.

"Hey," he said, crouching down beside me. "Where are you going?"

"Home," I said in a low voice.

"Need a ride?" he asked.

I looked up into his eyes. They still looked a little pink, but mostly clear. I studied his face for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to read his thoughts.

"You don't have to," I said, pulling out my chapstick and running it across my chapped lips.

"I know," Edward said. His eyes were on my mouth. "I want to."

"Are you sure? I feel like I'm being a total pain in the ass. You should just stay here with your brother," I murmured, glancing at Emmett who was now wrestling with Eric. "I'm sure he doesn't want to leave yet."

Edward looked at Emmett over his shoulder. "Then I'll drop you off and come back for him later."

"Edward," I groaned. My stomach clenched as his name spilled from my mouth. I cleared my throat. "It's fine. I can walk home."

"Bella," Edward said in a low voice. It was like honey running down my spine. "I want to drive you home. Will you let me?"

I met his gaze. Edward's eyes were on mine, searching me. He didn't look eager or desperate or like anything I was feeling at that moment. Instead he looked calm and collected. He looked like a friend who wanted to give another friend a ride home.

"Ok," I said, defeated.

Edward walked over the couch and pulled on his white collared shirt and blazer. I watched as he said something to Emmett before giving him a fist bump. Emmett looked up at me, offering a wave and a smile. Luckily, the smile held no sense of smugness.

"See you later, Bella," Rosalie said as her arms wound tightly around me from behind. I smiled and placed my hands on hers, which lay clasp against my tummy.

I really liked Rosalie and I could see us easily becoming friends. I felt more comfortable with her than I did with any of the others. Maybe it was because she helped me prepare to jump the fence yesterday, or maybe it was because she was so genuine. She was nothing but honest.

"Night, Rose," I said.

Angela gave me a quick hug too before turning to eye fuck Edward. I tried my best to ignore it.

"Bye, guys," I called out as I headed towards the stairs.

Tyler and Eric waved to me, giving me a couple of knowing smiles. Jasper held up a peace sign and Mike gave me pitiful smile.

"See ya, Bells," Emmett said. I laughed at Emmett who unknowingly used the pet name that Charlie gave me.

"Hey, Edward," Mike said in a gruff voice. "Are you coming back? We still have more weed, man."

I glanced up at Edward. He nodded once before climbing the stairs behind Alice. I followed slowly behind him. Alice gave Edward and I quick hugs at the door.

"Drive her home safely," she said to him. "And don't do anything she doesn't want you to do."

Alice gave Edward a wink before smacking him softly on the shoulder.

"How can you promise she won't take advantage of me?" he laughed.

I stood there stunned, watching his back as he walked out towards his car.

"Goodnight," Alice said to me, hugging me again.

"See ya, Alice," I said, hugging her back before walking out into the cold night air.

"Fuck," I said under my breath as I slid into the icy cold leather seat. His windows were covered in frost.

"I know," Edward, agreed. He put the heater up on blast, angling the vents so that they hit my legs.

I smiled to myself.

Edward let the car warm up for a minute and adjusted the radio before pulling away from the curb. We drove in silence, and I noticed that he didn't race down the street like he normally did. We were quiet for a while until he pulled up to Charlie's house. My dad's cruiser was nowhere in sight.

"Huh," I mused, twisting in my seat to look further down the street.

"What is it?" he asked.

I turned to look at him. He was looking over his should where I had been looking a second ago.

"Charlie's not here," I said.

Edward met my gaze. He stared at me fore a moment before asking, "Do you want me to come wait with you?"

"No," I sighed, looking away. "I'm sure he wont be gone long."

I glanced back at him; his eyes were still on me. I felt a flutter in my tummy as I met his gaze. His green eyes glowed in the dim street lights. I suddenly didn't want to say goodnight.

"I mean, I would invite you up, but I'm not sure about how Charlie would react," I continued. "Charlie would probably freak out if he came home and his sixteen year old daughter was sitting in the living room with a boy… alone."

Edward nodded, looking away from me. I couldn't stop looking at him. I felt my heart accelerate as I contemplated what to do next. I didn't want him to leave, not really. I didn't want him to go back to Alice's to get stoned with Mike Newton. I wanted him to come up and hang out with me for a bit, but I didn't know what to say or how to go about inviting him up.

Edward looked up at me, meeting my gaze. I felt myself tremble slightly beneath his searching eyes.

"You could come up," I said. "Its just, if Charlie came home before you left, you'd have to sneak out of my window… or something."

My voice shook slightly as I finished. I didn't really know what I was doing, let alone what I was saying. I had just invited Edward into my house, into my _room_. I surprised myself with my bravery.

"Ok," Edward said.

I felt myself blush and so I turned away.

"Ok," I said.

I reached for the door handle when Edward suddenly placed his hand on my arm, stopping me.

"Hey," he said. "Maybe I should park down the street. Just in case."

I nodded and sat, practically twitching, as he drove down the street a few houses before pulling over and shutting off the engine. We made eye contact again before turning and climbing out.

I groaned as I stepped out into the cold air.

"Fuck, its cold," he wined.

I laughed, happy that the cold air would cool my burning cheeks.

We walked side-by-side back towards Charlie's house. We were both quiet and would sometimes send each other awkward smiles; or rather, I would send Edward an awkward smile. Edward looked calm. I shivered aggressively as we approached the drive. I was practically shaking with anxiety, but I blamed it on the cold.

We walked up the small path to the front door where I pulled out my key and unlocked the dead bolt. Inside was pretty warm, Charlie had left the heater on. I didn't bother turning on the lights as I stepped aside to let Edward in. I watched as he immediately pulled off his blazer, his eyes roaming the small entryway and living room. I shut the door behind him and pulled off my blazer as well. We looked at each other for a minute before I turned towards the staircase.

"My room is over here," I said in a low voice.

Edward followed me up the stairs and into my bedroom. My heart was racing as I placed my stuff down on the rocking chair in the corner. I walked swiftly over to my bedside lamp and flicked it on before turning on the little string lights that hung around my window. Edward watched me move around, he was still standing by the door.

We were quiet while I waited for him to take in his surroundings. I could feel my body tremble from my nerves and I secretly wished that I had still been a little high. My bravery was fading and all that was left was charged wave of anticipation in my gut.

My room was small, but still nice and thankfully clean. Edward gazed over at some pictures I had put up of my mom, some friends from Phoenix and myself. Edward moved toward them, peering into the small frames.

"That's my mom," I said, nervously.

Edward glanced up at me. His green eyes were dark with some unfathomable emotion. I shifted nervously beneath his gaze. A sudden wave of heat washed over me and I suddenly felt a need to touch him. To kiss him. His eyes didn't help the titillation running through my body and I momentarily wondered if he could see it in my eyes. Edward leaned away for a second to place his blazer down on mine. I swallowed thickly, my heart practically beating its way out of my chest. And then he approached me slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. He reached up, caressing my cheek softly with the back of his hand before leaning in to kiss me. I let him.

His lips found mine and they felt very hot against my chapped lips. I opened my mouth inviting him in, and he accepted hungrily. He sucked and licked my lips; the smacking sounds and my ragged breathing pulsed in my ears. I felt Edward's hand on my cheek drop to my breast, and I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips. I trembled beneath his touch when his other hand was on me, both thumbs sweeping across my nipples that hardened beneath my blouse.

Edward began to move, his hips pressing against my stomach as he moved me backward until my legs hit the foot of my mattress. Our kiss broke off and I watched him as I slowly lowered myself and slid into the center of my small twin bed. He didn't hesitate before climbing on top of me, his knees pushing between my legs. I opened them, allowing him access before his mouth came down on mine again. Edward stayed hovering over me for a minute, his forearms resting on either side of my head and I began feeling desperate, needing his hands on me again.

My hands gripped his shoulders firmly as I pressed my chest against his. I heard him moan low in the back of his throat before pressing his body back against mine. His hands moved now, sliding down my arms and cupping my breasts again. I felt my body shiver as heat flooded my crotch. I wanted him so badly; though I didn't exactly understand what it was that I needed. I moved my mouth away from his for a moment, gasping for air. Edward took the opportunity to suck and scrape his teeth against my neck. I whimpered loudly from the sensation, unable to control myself. My hands slid down his firm chest before sliding behind his waist, pulling him towards me.

Edward's hips jerked against mine and I felt his erection against my damp crotch. I gasped at the sensation. He jerked his hips against me again, and this time his touch sent a wave of pleasure through me, like a bolt of lightning. I felt sweat breakout onto my forehead as Edward continued to move, gyrating his hips against mine. I tried my best to stifle my moans in his shoulder but I was unsuccessful. Every sound that escaped me was uncontrollable. His hands moved quickly, pulling his collared shirt off of himself before moving them roughly against my shirt, pulling my buttons open. His hands found the exposed skin of my stomach and he slid his palms roughly against my smooth skin before cupping my breasts beneath my bra. I felt a shutter run through Edward as his hands came in contact with my supple skin.

I was struggling to breath, gasping for air from the sensation of Edward's hands kneading my breasts, his mouth sucking my neck and his hard erection gyrating against my pulsating pussy. And soon, it was all too much. My body began to shake furiously and loud whimpers tore their way out of my throat.

"Oh my god," I gasped; seconds before my body jerked against him and my orgasm shattered my consciousness.

Edward's body slowed above me, his thrusting slowly coming to a stop. I could feel my limp body shaking beneath him as I gasped for air. My body was on fire and my forehead and chest was slick with sweat. And so was he, my hands were still on his back beneath his black t-shirt. Edward slid his hands out of my bra before sitting back onto his heels. As soon as his body was away from mine I felt cold, and so I pulled my shirt closed in front of me. He was watching me from between my legs. His hair was a wild disarray, his beanie forgotten on the floor, and his shirt was pulled up onto his torso. My eyes drifted down his body, to the soft ripples of muscle on his stomach and the prominent bulge in his tan pants. Edward was leaning forward with his hands against his knees, breathing deeply; his eyes roaming over my face and body with want. He was still hungry for more. My breathing slowed and my heart relaxed as I watched him, still lying on my back.

He moved towards me again, slowly crawling over me until he hovered above me at eye level. I gulped audibly before pulling my shirt back open. An obvious invitation. His eyes swept over my face before they slid slowly down to my chest. He ducked his head, placing a soft kiss on the top curve of my breast. I tried my best to control the noises that came out of me as his lips began to move against my skin. His kisses were tender at first, as they pressed lightly against my collarbone and shoulder, but they quickly became rough as he sucked and used his teeth against the thin transparent fabric of my bra, my ribcage and my stomach. His need for me was obvious, not only from the bulge in his pants, but from the way his hands and mouth moved hungrily over my skin. My hands fisted into his hair as my hips began to jerk against his chest. I wanted him too. I wanted more.

The sound of car tires on the driveway made us freeze. Edward's hands had been on my legs, running along my covered thighs and hips beneath my skirt. He looked up at me. We were silent for a moment, starring at each other, listening. And then I heard the front door open and heavy boots move around the entryway.

"Charlie!" I squeaked.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7: The Truck

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

******This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Truck**

"Bells?" I heard Charlie's voice boom up the stairs.

Edward jumped off my bed, reaching for his collard shirt and beanie as I hastily ran to my dresser to pull out something to wear. I pulled off my collard shirt before ripping the red t-shirt, with my Phoenix high school logo, over my head. I turned around to face Edward; he was already wearing his blazer and was standing by my window. We stared at each other or a moment, unsure about what to do when I noticed he didn't look half as freaked out as I did and I momentarily wondered if he just didn't care or if he was a pro at hiding his emotions. For some reason, the second assumption prodded something in my head.

_Did he always hide his emotions? _I thought.

When I suddenly heard Charlie's boots as he climbed the stairs, I panicked all over again.

"Closet!" I whispered hastily, pointing to the door in the corner.

Edward crossed the room without a word and slipped quietly into the closet. I looked around, searching for signs of Edward in my room when I caught a glimpse of my reflection of the long mirror that sat in the corner of my room. My eyes were wide and panicked, my hair was an insane mess and my lips were bright red and swollen. I snagged a hair band from my dresser and hastily tied my hair up. Glancing around my room, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so I ran quickly to my backpack and pulled out my books and papers, spilling them onto my bed before sitting cross-legged in front of them. A second later, Charlie knocked and pulled my bedroom door open.

"Hey, dad," I said. My heart was thundering in my chest and I wondered if he could hear it.

"Hey," he said, glancing around. "When did you get home?"

"Um," I said, looking at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It was 9:30. "Like maybe over an hour ago. Where were you?"

Charlie held up a bag of take out and began telling me a story about how some guy put up a fight about his dinner being cold, even though he had ate it all. Charlie assumed the dude didn't want to pay for his dinner. He said the man got away with it and left the restaurant with a huge smile on his face. Charlie chuckled loudly while I just nodded, unable to find the story at all interesting. I was way too aware of the beautiful bronze haired boy who was secretly hiding in my closet.

"I'll be down in a minute dad," I said dismissively, as soon as Charlie took a break from speaking. "I just need to finish this up."

Charlie nodded, eyeing my room one last time before shutting the door behind him. I waited a minute, listening to his boots as they descended the stairs before getting up and locking the door.

Edward stepped out of my closet and chuckled at me. I couldn't help but giggle with him as he crept back towards the window.

"That was close," he said in a hushed voice. The crooked smile was still on his face.

"I know," I whispered, moving towards him.

"Nice shirt," mused, eyeing my highschool t-shirt.

I blushed as I glanced down at myself. The shirt was a little snug on my chest. I met his gaze again and we stared at each other for a minute.

"I should go," Edward sighed as he gestured towards the window. His eyes traveled over my face before landing on my lips.

"Ok," I said. I turned towards the window and pulled it open. It was freezing outside and I shivered as the cold wind blew into my once warm bedroom.

Edward stuck his head out, glancing around the yard and the side of the house. Slowly, he gripped the window frame and eased himself onto the windowsill, preparing to go.

"I'll go downstairs and distract Charlie," I said.

We stared at each other for a minute and then I turned to leave, but before I was able to take a step, Edward's hand reached out and grabbed mine. I turned back to look at him. I couldn't read his expression. He gazed at me for a moment before climbing back into my bedroom and leaning down to kiss me. His kiss was soft. He sucked on my bottom lip for a moment before pulling away. I swayed slightly, stunned by his kiss.

"Do you need a ride to school tomorrow?" he asked as he moved towards the window.

"Um..." I had to clear my throat. "I think Angela is giving me a ride," I said, as little wings fluttered excitedly in my tummy again.

He nodded, his eyes still on me. I hesitated before giving him a wide smile, which he returned.

"I had fun," I whispered, sheepishly. "Thanks for driving me home."

"Goodnight, Bella," Edward said, giving me his crooked smile once again before he climbed back out of my window.

"Goodnight," I whispered to him before rushing out of my room and down the stairs to meet Charlie in the kitchen.

I couldn't help but make excuses to stand near the kitchen sink. I washed my hands slowly and I tried my best not to look obvious as I peered out onto the front lawn, searching for Edward. I was so keyed up, I didn't even notice Charlie scrutinizing me.

"What's up with you?" Charlie asked, eyeing me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, glancing at him over my shoulder.

"You look a little... I don't know, anxious or something." Charlie's eyes scrutinized my face.

I shrugged, a little pissed that Charlie chose tonight to be overly observant. I was instantly glad I wasn't high or drunk anymore.

I swallowed thickly as I dried my hands on the small towel on the counter.

Charlie and I ate dinner together; he picked me up a chicken spinach salad and got himself a steak with fries. We ate mostly in silence. He asked me about school and I told him it was fine. I asked about work, but there wasn't much for him to say. I ate quickly and hurried back up stairs after wishing Charlie a quick goodnight.

My window was closed and my room was warm again. I smiled, knowing Edward had shut my window on his way out. I couldn't believe what had happened today. I somehow grew enough courage to invite him upstairs into my bedroom where we had the most amazing make-out session of my life. And he made me _orgasm_ just from the way he touched me. I blushed hot as little wings made themselves present in my lower tummy again. I had never done anything like that with a boy before. And I didn't even really know Edward, yet I willingly invited him into my room after knowing him for only a few days. Part of me felt embarrassed about my actions, yet a part of me felt empowered by the experience. I wasn't expecting anything from Edward, because like I've said, I didn't even really know him. But that didn't mean I couldn't _enjoy_ him, right? I was so incredibly attracted to this guy, so I couldn't find it in me to regret the decisions I had made these past couple of days.

I still couldn't believe how the night had turned out. And though it was one of the best experiences of my life, it didn't seem like enough. I wanted Edward in a way that I had never wanted anyone before. The sensation was entirely new to me. Just thinking about his face, his voice, his body made me feel things I had never felt before. _Lust? _And what about his personality? He was so mysterious; I felt eager to figure him out. I wanted to get to know Edward. The boy behind the dazzling green eyes.

As I lay in bed, I began to wonder what would have happened if Charlie hadn't come home so soon. Would Edward and I have gone all the way? I realized with dreadful pang that I wouldn't know what to do if Edward and I were to have sex. I wouldn't know where to touch him, or how to act. I've never gotten even close to doing it with anyone in my life. But somehow I knew that Edward would know what to do. I mean, he totally knew where to touch me, and how to move against me this evening. He brought me to an orgasm just from moving his hips against mine. I blushed as I thought about what it might feel like to have him against me, skin on skin and what his fingers would do to my naked flesh.

_And what about his naked penis?_ I mused. It felt big and hard against me, and especially when I saw the prominent bulge in his pants. But still, I couldn't even imagine would it must look like if it weren't hidden behind layers of clothes. I shook my head, embarrassed by my own thoughts.

I woke up early the next day and made my way over to the bathroom to take a shower. My mind was flooded with images of Edward. Edward leaning against Alice's kitchen counter, Edward doing handstands, Edward's eyes glowing in moonlight, Edward's lips as they curved up into a crooked smile. He was so fucking mysterious. All night I thought about the way he acted around his friends and around me. Last night, Rosalie had mentioned the sudden change in his personality, the fact that he didn't seem as reserved as he used to. She said she had known him as a kid, and I wondered how long that was after I left. Last night, when Charlie came home, I thought I had made a discovery on the fact that Edward was possibly good at hiding his emotions from others. He always seemed calm and collected, never eager or excited or angry. I had to admit to myself, I wasn't entirely sure if he kept his feelings a secret or if he just simply lacked strong emotional feelings in general. This was something I would have look into further.

I laughed at myself as I combed my conditioner through my hair. I was sitting here, planning on ways to research Edward Cullen. My obsession with him continued to escalate, especially with my new found physical attraction to him. I kept thinking about the way he touched me last night. The way his hands moved over my skin on my chest. Yesterday was the first time he deliberately touched me. First, in Alice's kitchen, and then in my bedroom. And then I thought about his kiss goodbye. It was sweet, but kind of unnecessary, though I was still happy he did it. But why did he do it? Because he wanted to or because he felt obligated?

I began to wonder what Edward must think about me. Was he attracted to me? Was he interested in getting to know me? I didn't make it very difficult for him. I had let him kiss me outside of Tyler's garage and I had invited him into my house. Again, I thought of his perfect face; full lips, straight nose, chiseled features. He was gorgeous. Perfect. I looked so simple and plain in comparison. I frowned as I realized how unattractive I looked in comparison to his drop dead beauty. I desired him. I hungered for him. Even now, as I took a shower I felt my heart accelerate when I thought about him.

I finished my shower and dressed quickly. I was about to pull on some knee-high socks for today, and then groaned at the fact that I didn't have enough school clothes. I knew my legs were going to be freezing. I would have to ask Alice or Rosalie if they would like to accompany me to Port Angeles tomorrow after school. With a sudden inspiration, I dialed Alice's phone number.

"Alice?" I asked when she answered. "Its Bella."

"Hey, girl," she said. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you had a pair of tights I could borrow. My legs are like ice and I don't having anything warm to wear," I sighed from embarrassment with my head in my hand.

"Of course you can," she said. She asked me my size and we laughed at the fact that we were the exact same size, in the hips at least.

Alice talked to me about what she owned and what she liked to wear. She also told me I could borrow anything of hers whenever I needed it. I asked if she thought she would be able to accompany me to Port Angeles on Friday. She agreed, ecstatic about the shopping trip.

After hanging up with Alice, I did my hair and makeup and had a bowl of cereal while I waited for Angela. I stared down at my mini wheat's and thought of Edward. I knew I would never be able to look at cereal the same way again. Angela pulled up after a few minutes and I changed into a pair of black tights in her back seat, thanks to Alice for remembering to bring them. During the ride to school Angela brought Edward up a few times. She talked about the way he looked last night in his black t-shirt. I kept quiet, secretly remembering how he looked on his knees between my legs, that black t-shirt bunched up on his chest exposing soft planes of warm skin and muscle. I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth.

"How was the drive home last night?" Alice asked. She peeked at me over her shoulder with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Fine," I said. I kept my eyes away from her, preying my blush wouldn't give me away.

"It took a while for Edward to make it back to Alice's place," Angela said. I saw her eyes dart to me in the rearview mirror.

"Really?" I asked. I didn't comment further.

I saw Angela shrug. She didn't press me for information.

Alice looked me over once more before letting the topic drop. I was grateful for that. I didn't want to talk about what happened last night. It was between him and me. But as Angela pulled into the school parking lot, I began to wonder if Edward would have told his friends what had happened. I decided I would find out soon enough, or at least at lunch this afternoon.

Alice, Angela and I arrived to school just as the first bell rang. I climbed out of the back seat and hastily made my way to class. Luckily it wasn't raining, but it was bitterly cold. I glanced around at the faces I passed, but I didn't see Edward anywhere. I was anxious to see him and I knew he came to class today because Angela had parked right beside his silver car.

My classes went by fairly quickly. I had a lot of lectures and took an insane amount of notes, worried that my slacking will eventually catch up to me. When the bell for lunch rang, Alice and I walked over to the cafeteria together. I grabbed a bagel and lemonade. Edward and his friends were at our table again. Edward was wearing a dark brown zip-up hoodie and his black beanie. His blazer was slung over his school bag next to him. I watched him from a distance. He was laughing at something Mike was talking about while eating a slice of pizza.

Edward caught my eye as I approached the table and he offered me a small smile. I sat in my usual seat in front of him. Edward watched me for a minute while I busied myself by applying cream cheese to my bagel. I took a bite and looked up at him. He was still watching me.

"Want some?" I asked around the bite of food in my mouth.

He nodded and reached for my bagel. I handed it to him and watched with wide eyes as he took a large bite. He smiled at me, a bit of cream cheese smeared on his upper lip. I swallowed down the saliva that pooled in my mouth. I wanted to lean over and lick the cream cheese off of him. Edward turned away, listening to the chatter that took place around the table. I took the opportunity to quickly check him out. His facial hair was growing back again along his jaw, chin and upper lip. I swallowed thickly, smearing cream cheese on the other half of my bagel. Most of our lunch period was uneventful, and thankfully no one made any weird or rude comments about Edward taking a while to drop me off last night. It seemed that he too had kept his mouth shut about what had happened between us.

When the bell rang, I was happy to see Edward linger behind as I gathered my things, when Rosalie suddenly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. I watched as he leaned back slightly, allowing her access as she reached up to whisper in his ear. I tried my best not to eavesdrop, but I was unsuccessful. I herd her whisper something about Emmett's birthday before she asked him to call her later. Edward smirked and rubbed his hand over hers, which continued to linger on his chest.

"Don't forget," she whispered to him. "I'll be home at around 8."

"Got it," Edward said, his lips pulling up into a crooked smile.

Rosalie released her hold on Edward just as he moved to grab my empty trey and bottle to dump it in the trash, while I slung on my backpack.

As we walked to class together, I wanted so badly to ask Edward about what Rosalie had said, but I knew it wasn't my place. I felt weirdly upset about the way her arms had held him only moments ago. It was so easy for her to just touch him, as if she did it all the time. I wanted to touch Edward like that. I wanted to be able to rub his arm or place my hand on his chest. It was an irrational thought, of course. I wasn't friends with Edward like Rosalie or Alice was. I barley even knew the guy, for fuck's sake. But it did little to suppress the want I felt as I gazed up at him. I sighed and tried my best to let it drop.

"How was your drive home last night?" I asked as we entered our classroom a little early.

"Cold," he said, giving me his dazzling crooked smile. I blinked repeatedly, trying to clear my head.

"Was Emmett still drunk when you got back to Alice's?" I asked. I tried to make it sound like an innocent enough question, when really I wanted to know if he hung around her place to get stoned with Mike.

"No," he said, taking his seat beside me. "He was pretty sober when I got there. I picked him up right after I left your place." He sounded nonchalant, as if mentioning leaving my place after making out for an hour was no big deal. I blushed.

"How was Charlie?" he asked, his eyes taking in my pink cheeks. I looked away, embarrassed.

"Fine," I said.

"I left you something on your desk," he said. His voice was low and like velvet. "Did you see it?"

I met his gaze. His green eyes were mesmerizing.

"N-No," I muttered. My mind felt like it was in a trance. "What did you leave?"

Edward shrugged and turned towards the front of the class room, just as our teacher walked in.

Our teacher came in to class a few minutes late, pushing an ancient television inside with him. He told us we'd be watching a movie on something that had to do with microorganisms, but I missed half of what he said. I was too busy concentrating on Edward's presence and his close proximity beside me. He was sitting much closer to me than usual.

I took a quick peek up at him and was surprised to see him looking down at me. His expression was unreadable again, and I blushed beneath his gaze.

Mr. Banner shut the lights off before starting the movie and the entire class was put momentarily in complete darkness. I felt my body tremble. I was desperate to reach over and touch him, but I crossed my arms in front of me, balling my fists into my ribs. It was as if an electric current was radiating between our bodies. Eager for contact, I shifted on my seat, letting my hair brush along his arm. I heard Edward swallow loudly beside me. I wondered if he was feeling something too.

After a minute of listening to our teacher fumble, the movie began. I looked over at Edward once more and giggled softly when I noticed his posture mirrored mine. He glanced down at his arms and then offered me his crooked smile. I stared at his full lips a little longer than I should have and blushed for the tenth time before looking away. The movie lasted a really long time and I didn't process a thing I saw. I was hyper aware of Edward's presence and every breath he took. I glanced up at him a few times during the movie but he didn't look at me. His eyes stayed fixed on the screen in front of us and his posture never softened. Neither did mine.

During that hour of sitting in silence, I wondered about what Edward could have possibly left me on my desk. I was eager to run home and check, and the idea of having to wait hours was starting to drive me insane.

When the movie was over, we grabbed our bags and headed for the door in silence. Outside we gave each other small goodbyes before going our separate ways. My mind was in a fog all through Gym. All I could think about was that pull of electricity that ran through me as Edward and I sat side by side in darkness. I wanted to touch him again. He was like an addiction and I needed a taste or I was going to lose my mind. Every time I blinked I would get a glimpse of Edward's beautiful green eyes behind my eye lids. I kept imagining his hands on me and the way he made my body feel. Last night, I had felt things, certain sensations I had never felt before. My head swam as I ran through images of the way he looked between my legs, the way his hands felt on my hips, the way his lips felt on my body.

"Bella," Alice said, walking over to me. We were playing volleyball and I hadn't moved from my spot for, God knows how long.

Blushing, I looked up at Alice and smiled. "What's up?" I asked.

"Are you ok?" she asked. "You seem… distracted."

"I'm fine," I lied. I was horribly distracted. Edward Cullen kept invading my mind.

"So what are you doing tonight?" she asked.

"Nothing," I shrugged.

"Yeah, me either," she said. "I think we are all just gonna stay home and do some homework."

"That's cool. I need to spend time with Charlie anyway."

Alice nodded, eyeing me. I watched as she glanced over at Angela, who was talking animatedly to Jessica Stanley. And then Alice looked back at me with questions in her eyes.

I didn't acknowledge her eager eyes. I didn't know what she was so curious about, but I had my suspicions that she wanted to talk about Edward. Was I that obvious?

The bell rang soon after and the three of us dressed quickly and walked to the parking lot together. Edward was standing with Tyler by his car as we approached. Tyler was talking to Edward about going back to his place to get high. Edward agreed and told him he'd meet him in an hour. When the girls and I approached, Tyler turned to look at us, but didn't offer an invitation. I guessed he wanted a guys night.

"Hey," Tyler said to us. I didn't miss the way he eyed me up and down.

I smiled and looked away. Edward was watching me, offering a small smile. I smiled back, feeling littler butterflies in my stomach. Alice and Angela talked to the boys for a minute before we gave them a quick goodbye. Alice, however, leaned into Edward and mumbled for him to tell Jasper to call her later. Edward nodded slightly, being discrete out of respect for Alice. I smiled.

"See ya," I said as I turned back to Angela's car. Edward waved to me, watching me go.

Back at home, I quickly ran up the stairs to my bedroom before throwing my door open and moving quickly towards my desk. My heart fluttered with excitement as I looked around. It took me a minute before I found it. Scribbled on the bottom corner of an opened notebook was a phone number and the letter 'E' below it. Edward had left me his phone number. I felt my smile spread across my face as I looked over the number.

"He left me his fucking phone number," I whispered to myself.

I reached into my school bag and pulled out my cell phone.

_Should I text him and tell him I got it?_ I thought to myself. I nodded. _Yes, I should._

I typed in a small message before saving Edward's phone number into my phone.

_You left me your number, _I wrote before I finally hit 'Send.'

My pulse hammered dangerously as I waited for a response. I didn't say who text was from, but I hoped he understood anyway. After a minute, my phone alerted me with a text. Edward's name glowed brightly on my phone.

_And now I have yours,_ he wrote back.

My smile grew wider across my face as I re-read his text. _Yes, he does._

I decided I needed to busy myself because my mind kept wondering back to Edward. I cleaned the house, did the dishes and then decided to make dinner for Charlie and myself. I found some sausage in the fridge, some pasta and some bottled marinara sauce in the pantry. I let the pasta sauce and sausage simmer while I did some homework on the kitchen table. By 7:30, Charlie came home. He walked into the kitchen smacking his lips together.

"That smells good, Bells," he said, eyeing the pot in my hands. I was finishing up dinner, spooning together the sauce, sausage and pasta around to combined everything.

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "Dad, maybe we should drive over the store this weekend and buy some stuff. I don't mind cooking dinner for us."

Charlie agreed and served himself a large plate of food. We sat at the small kitchen table together. We ate in silence, Charlie reading through the mail while I took notes from my English book. And right before I was about to turn in for the night, a loud rumbling came up our driveway. I looked up at Charlie and was surprised to see a wide smile across his face.

"Are you expecting company?" I asked, bewildered by his expression.

"I have a surprise for you," he said nodding his head towards the door.

I stood up and followed him outside, eager to see what he was talking about. Parked behind Charlie's cruiser was a huge red Chevy pickup truck. It had large rounded fenders and large bulbous cap. It idled noisily.

"What do you think?" Charlie asked me, peering at the truck through the rain.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"I just bought it off Billy there," he said, looking down at me.

I stared at him blankly before turning back to the truck.

"Now you can get around town on your own without having to ride in your ol' man's cruiser," he murmured beside me.

My eyes took in the solid iron exterior of the truck. It was a monster and to my intense surprise, I loved it.

"Dad," I said feeling my throat close up with emotion. "You really didn't have to do that." I wasn't used to Charlie trying to take care of me. I blushed, glancing up at him.

"I want you to be happy here," he said. "And I want you to be able to get yourself around town easily." His eyes were still on the truck. It wasn't easy for Charlie to express his emotions. "I don't mind helping you out, Bells."

I stood beside him, staring at the truck as well.

"Thanks, dad," I said. "Its really nice."

I watched as a young boy jumped out of the driver's side of the truck. He offered a quick wave before running around to the bed and pulling out a wheelchair. I watched on the porch as Charlie helped the kid pull an elderly man from the passenger side and tuck him into the wheelchair.

"Bells," Charlie said, pushing the older man towards the front door. "This is Billy."

"Bella," Billy said, reaching a hand out to me. "It has been too long. You're all grown up now."

I took his hand and smiled. I remembered Billy, though I hadn't seen him in years.

"You're looking good," I said, the smile still on my face.

He laughed and gestured to the tall, lanky boy behind him. "This here is Jacob. You two used to make mud pies when you were little."

"Yeah, I remember," I said, looking at Jacob Black.

He looked to be about fifteen now, with long black hair he kept in ponytail at the nape of his neck.

Jacob smiled at me and offered me his hand to shake.

Charlie and I invited the Blacks in and I served them each a plate of dinner, a small thanks for the truck. They styed for an hour, while Jacob talked to me about the truck. He told me that I didn't go much faster than about 60 miles per hour, and to double pump the clutch to switch gears. He asked me a little about school and how I was liking Forks. He was really nice and had a very sweet smile. I kept glancing at his shiny black hair, slightly envious of its texture. After a while, we all talked and watched some television until Charlie eventually drove them home. I couldn't help but peek out of my truck every few minutes. I couldn't wait to drive it to school, but I knew I shouldn't just yet because Alice, Angela and I were supposed to go to Port Angeles after school.

When Charlie got back, I politely asked if I could go with the girls. He seemed ok with it and offered me some cash. I told him that I had brought a little with me. He frowned slightly, but I assured him it was no big deal.

I went to bed late that night, busying myself with homework and reading. Eventually, at around 2 am I fell asleep.

I woke up feeling groggy the next morning. I showered and dressed quickly and decided to tie my hair up in a messy ponytail on the top of my head again. I was too tired to do much more to it. Glancing in the mirror, I applied some eyeliner and mascara to try to hide the circles around my eyes and my chapstick. My lips were finally beginning to heal.

I wore a pair of black knee-high socks and my yoga shorts under my skirt. Packing my backpack, I made sure to grab my wallet and some extra cash for our trip to Port Angeles. And then I checked my ass in the long mirror before exiting my room. Everything was properly covered. I sighed, longing for a pair of thick tights.

"Hey, dad," I yawned as I walked into the kitchen. I tugged on the hem of my skirt. I hated having my thighs so exposed.

"Sleepy start?" he asked me with a small smile.

I nodded, taking a seat at the table. I wasn't hungry.

Angela pulled up less than five minutes later. I grabbed my scarf, my blazer and slipped on my boots before leaving.

"Hey," I said climbing into the back seat.

"Morning," the girls said. They looked just as sleepy as I did. Friday's were tough.

"I really love your hair like that," Alice commented, glancing at me from over her shoulder. "I can't wait until my hair grows out."

I smiled at Alice and watched as she ran her fingers through her short hair before closing my eyes and settling back as we took the road to school.

A few hours later, at lunch, the girls and I were talking to Rosalie about our plans to take a trip to Port Angeles after school. We talked about the different things we wanted to buy and what we all needed for school. Rosalie seemed excited and accepted our invitation.

"Where are you guys going?" Emmett asked as he came up behind Rosalie. His hand gently rubbed her shoulder.

"Port Angeles," Angela said with a smile.

"Cool," Emmett said. "Can we come?"

"You want to come shopping with us?" Alice asked. I could see excitement all over her face.

"Not to shop. I just want to get the fuck out of Forks for a little while. Hey," Emmett turned to yell at the group of boys behind us. "The girls are going to Port Angeles after school."

I heard a lot of exclamations about shopping and then something about getting out of Forks for a while. Slowly the boys drifted over to our table and we all started discussing how we would all get there. I eyed Edward as he came to sit beside me. He was wearing his black zip-up hoodie underneath his blazer and a grey beanie today. His facial hair looked a little fuller too.

"Hi," he whispered as leaned over to take one of my fries.

I giggled and looked away, trying to hide my blush.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So, I think I've mentioned this earlier; I'm on my summer break from school right now, so I will be posting chapters fairly quickly for the time being. If you think I should hold off a bit and post only once a week, let me know. lol **

**I want to thank all of my readers for staying with me. I know many of you who read don't always review, but its still nice to know my story is being read, nonetheless. However, comments are always nice. They let me know what you think and they'll give my story a boost so that other's might be interested to read as well. **

**If you have any comments or if you think I should add something to the story, lemme know. I take all of your opinions into consideration. **

**Next up is Port Angeles. :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	8. Chapter 8: Port Angeles

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Port Angeles**

Eventually, it was decided that both Tyler and Edward would drive. Tyler had a van, which could hold at least eight people and Edward had his Volvo.

"I'll ride with you," I muttered to Edward, just as Mike asked if I wanted to ride with him and Tyler. I kept my eyes averted from Mike.

Edward glanced down at me as he popped a second fry into his mouth.

"Bella, Jasper and Alice are riding in my car," Edward said as he busied himself with squirting ketchup into a small mound on my tray. His voice was low and smooth. He said it with an air of confidence, as if plans had already been made hours ago.

Mike glared at Edward for a minute before turning away. Edward didn't see it. He was busy dipping a third fry in the ketchup. Emmett, Rosalie, Angela and Eric would be riding with Mike and Tyler to Port Angeles. I wondered for a second why Emmett would be going with Tyler. It seemed to me that Emmett usually rode in Edward's car. They were brothers, after all. I shrugged it off and looked up at Edward again. I felt my heart accelerate with anticipation as I peered into his face. I couldn't wait to hang out with him again.

The bell rang and Edward and I got up to toss our trays. We were about to head to Biology together when Mike approached us. He had a huge phony smile on his face as he talked about how much fun Port Angeles will be with a big group. I smiled and nodded politely, but Edward stayed quiet. I looked up at him a few times, but his eyes continued to look out into the distance, completely ignoring Mike and I. Mike noticed me looking at Edward and took the opportunity to drape his arm around my shoulders. I sighed, but didn't remove his arm. The gesture was friendly, and didn't really make me too uncomfortable. He was just being a guy. Mike continued to make small talk, asking if I was enjoying the movie in Biology or if I had any other plans this weekend. I shrugged and told him that I wasn't sure yet.

We reached our classroom after a few minutes and Edward walked in without holding the door for us. I stared after his retreating form as he walked over to our table and sat down. I offered Mike a timid smile before I pulled his arm off of me.

Edward looked at me, his eyes searching mine as I took my seat. I stared back at him, puzzled by the look in his eye. Mr. Banner came in then and put on the movie before dimming the lights. I sighed, leaning back into my chair. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I peeked over at Edward. He wasn't watching me. Instead, he kept his eyes on the movie as if he wasn't interested in anything other than the boring black and white film. I spent a few minutes trying to decide on whether or not I should try to get his attention. I argued with myself on whether I should whisper his name or giggle silently. Everything seemed so stupid and childish, but I wanted, _needed_ his attention.

Taking a deep breath, I nudged Edward on the arm with my elbow. He immediately looked down at me and I wondered if maybe he hadn't been playing as close attention to the film as I thought he had. His eyes glowed eerily in the dim light.

I smiled up at him, instigating some form of interaction. He smiled back, his white teeth peeking out between his lips, and I felt my tummy flutter involuntarily. We stared at each other for a second longer before I began to blush and looked away with a smile still on my lips. I was happy he couldn't see me blush in the dim lighting. And then, to my utter surprise, Edward nudged me in the ribs with his elbow. I jumped animatedly, gripping my side. Edward's eyes were wide as he looked at me, obviously as surprised as I was by how exaggerated I had jumped. We both broke out into a fit of silent laughter, our hands clutched tightly over our mouths to stifle our chuckles.

Mr. Banner cleared his throat and turned to glare at us from the front corner of the room. Edward threw me a smirk, followed by an eye roll, before he slouched down in his seat. We behaved ourselves after that, and I tried to unsuccessfully watch the movie.

When the film ended, Mr. Banner let us out early and so Edward and I packed up our things together and left. I didn't look for Mike over my shoulder, because I didn't want to offer any kind of invitation for him to come join us. Luckily, Mike didn't try. I tugged on the hem of my skirt as we left the classroom.

"I really need to buy another set of this uniform," I mumbled as I ran my hands over the front of my skirt.

"There's a student's store in the main building," Edward said, nodding his head to our right.

He led me over to the building in silence and then approached a small rectangular window on the first floor. I walked slowly beside him, my eyes scanning the window and the old wooden sign that read, _Student's Store_. From what I can see through the window, the room was small and held various objects; books, office utilities, instruments, art supplies, and uniforms. There was a young boy with red curly hair and big round glasses behind the desk. I watched as he typed away on a black laptop.

"What's up, Dennis?" Edward said. He leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the windowsill.

"Cullen!" Dennis said in a loud nasally voice. "What's up man?"

Dennis held his fist out for a bump, which Edward returned with a small smile.

"You got anymore uniforms?" Edward asked as he turned to look at me over his shoulder.

I stood there timidly, my arms crossed tightly over my chest.

"Bella wants to buy a few things," Edward continued.

Dennis introduced himself to me by taking my hand in his and kissing my knuckles. I giggled under my breath from the sweet gesture. I was asked my size, which is a size 2, and how many pieces I would need. I blushed furiously as I answered Dennis's questions and paid for the clothes. Edward's eyes were on me the entire time. He wasn't smiling or scrutinizing; he was just watching. But his gaze made me incredibly nervous nonetheless.

"Thanks," I mumbled to Edward as I forced the large bag of clothes into my backpack.

"What class do you have next?" he asked me as we made our way out of the building.

"Gym," I groaned, looking up at him.

"Gym isn't so bad," he said, looking down at me with his crooked smile.

"Maybe not for you," I said. "I've already told you, Edward, I am probably the most uncoordinated person on the planet." My tummy did a happy dance when I said his name.

"Ditch," he said.

I glanced up at him, but he wasn't watching me.

"I can't," I muttered, watching his profile.

"Why not?"

"Because I could get into trouble. I am the Chief's daughter, after all. I was born to follow the rules," I said jokingly.

Edward looked down at me, an amused expression on his face.

"It's healthy to ditch once in a while," he said. The crooked smile returned.

"Are you ditching class today?" I asked tentatively.

Edward shrugged, the smile still on his lips.

I sighed, glancing over at the parking lot. Would it be so wrong?

"You don't have to, Bella," he muttered, looking away from me.

The bell rang, dismissing our Biology class. I watched Edward for a moment, contemplating whether or not I should just ditch class with him. On one hand, it would give us the opportunity to get to know each other better. I would be able to talk to him, figure out more about who he is and who he's become over the past ten or so years. Maybe I could even bring up my childhood, hint to him that I used to live in Forks when I was younger. But before I was able to make a decision Edward stopped walking and turned to face me.

"I'll see you after school," Edward said, knocking me out of my thoughts.

I looked around me. I hadn't realized we were walking to the gym together. Edward gave me a small smile before turning and walking away. I watched him for a moment; his shoulders swaying in his dark teal blazer, his ass in his tan pants. I swallowed thickly. He was so fucking gorgeous.

Gym was agonizing today. Not only was I being clumsy and tripping over my own two feet, but my reflexes were behind, due to my drowsiness. I got hit on the head with the volleyball a few times and often when I fell, I took someone down with me. Angela and Alice thought it was the funniest thing in the world. I sneered at them, rubbing the obvious bump growing on my knee. Once our class ended I dressed quickly, not speaking to them. Falling over yourself and others in a PE class was humiliating enough on its own. Their laughter just contributed to my embarrassment. I huffed and left the building before them.

"Oh, come on Bella!" Alice urged, pulling her blazer on. "It was funny!"

I walked across the parking lot by myself before spotting Edward leaning against his Volvo. It was drizzling. I smiled to myself as I realized I didn't mind the rain so much after all. I didn't even bother to bring my umbrella to school anymore.

"Hey," I said as I reached him.

He smiled at me before dropping his eyes to the ground between us. He was kicking a small acorn around with the tip of his grey Nike's.

Alice and Angela caught up to us before the others arrived. I tried my best not to be annoyed, but every time Alice looked at me she would clasp a hand over her mouth before she burst out laughing between her fingers. I rolled my eyes at her, blushing tomato red.

"What's so funny?" Tyler asked as he approached.

Alice was still doubled over in laugher. I huffed again, turning away from her. I leaned against the Volvo beside Edward and studied my fingernails.

Tyler agreed to follow Angela home so that she could drop her car off, and Edward told Tyler we would just meet them at the Port Angeles mall. Before we cleared off, I watched Jasper reach into Mike's backpack for something. Whatever it was that Jasper grabbed, he tried to be discrete as he slipped it into his pocket before zipping Mike's bag shut. Alice, Jasper, Edward and I climbed into the Volvo while the other's moved towards Angela and Tyler's cars. Jasper climbed into the back seat with Alice and I took the front with Edward.

We were only a few minutes onto the freeway when Jasper pulled something out of his pocket and then flicked his lighter. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was holding a black and gold marijuana pipe to his lips as he lit the bowl. I watched the cloud of smoke rise around his head before the smell even hit me. Jasper took one long drag before holding it and letting it out with a few loud coughs. Jasper then handed the pipe to Alice, who lit the bowl and took a puff before handing it to me. I took it from her before glancing up at Edward. He eyed me for a moment, before looking away.

I brought the pipe to my mouth, lit the bowl and took a puff. I inhaled deeply and took a pull of fresh air to keep the smoke in my lungs. I held it for a moment before letting it out. I coughed aggressively, clutching my chest.

"Wow," I gasped between coughs.

Jasper and Alice laughed at me while Edward handed me a water bottle with his crooked smile on his lips. I took it from him gratefully.

I tried to pass the pipe over to Edward before he shrugged it away.

"Not while I'm driving," he said.

I blushed, realizing I had just asked him to smoke something that would impair his driving, while we were still on the freeway.

"Charlie would be so mad at me," I mumbled to myself.

Edward looked over at me before bursting into laughter. I laughed with him, unable to help myself. The drive to Port Angeles went by faster than normal, but I guessed it was probably because of the weed. Jasper smoked a little more in the back seat, the smoke causing my vision to blur as he hot boxed the car. I remembered waving my hand in front of my face before Edward lowered my window. The smoke disappeared quickly.

"Better?" he asked, giving me his crooked smile again.

Of course, I blushed underneath his gaze and then laughed at myself for acting like boy-crazy little girl in Edward's presence.

We arrived at the Port Angeles mall soon after. Edward parked at the top of the parking structure, where we all climbed out of the car to stretch. I watched as Jasper handed Edward the pipe and lighter. Edward took a few pulls before handing it back to Jasper. Jasper to a puff, handed it Alice, who eventually handed it to me. I was thoroughly stoned by the time I handed the pipe back to Edward. I watched him carefully as he took a few more hits. They way his lips curved around the glass pipe, the way his cheeks tightened as he sucked, his eyes forward, concentrating as he lit the bowl. I almost fainted from watching him.

Edward reached back into his car, pulling out some eye drops, which he dropped into his eyes before handing it to me. I took some and blinked furiously, trying to keep my mascara from running as I handed the Visine to Alice. I grabbed my backpack, pulled out my uniform bag and tucked it under the front seat. I waited for Jasper and Alice to grab their things before heading towards the elevators that led to the tiny mall.

"I'm really high," I mused as I stared at my reflection in the ceiling of the elevator.

I heard Edward chuckle beside me and I looked over at him. His eyes were hooded and sleepy looking as he gazed at me. I stared back at him, hypnotized by the way the golden light played against the strands of hair that poked out beneath his beanie. He was so fucking gorgeous to look at.

"Bella," I heard Alice say, but I couldn't look away.

Edward held my gaze until Alice finally tugged on my hand, pulling me out of the elevator.

"Bella Swan, you are _swooning_ over Edward Cullen," she hissed into my ear.

I looked over at her. She stared mischievous at me through hooded eyes, and her black eyeliner looked smudgy at the corners. I reached my hands up and carefully cleaned her eye makeup. She smiled at me, her eyes roaming over my face as I worked. I smiled back at her.

"Not swooning," I whispered to her. "Just appreciating."

Alice held my hand as we walked through the mall. We all decided that we needed something to drink, so we walked over to a lemonade stand and got a couple of frozen lemonades. I bought a large and sighed euphorically after taking my first gulp.

"So good," I moaned. The salty sweet juice tickled my dry tongue.

Edward's eyes were on me again. I moved towards him, holding my cup up to his mouth. He smirked before leaning towards me and taking a sip.

I watched, mesmerized as his full lips wrapped around the straw. His eyes bore into mine. I blushed, but didn't look away. His green eyes had flecks of orange and his pupils were slightly dilated in the bright light of mall. I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. I could see his iris's shift as he glanced at various parts of my face. I was standing so close to him, I could see every detail of his flawless face, and I could taste his scent on the back of my tongue, mingling with the sweetness of the lemonade. I bit my lip, watching his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed down the gulp of lemonade. Edward's eyes shifted to my mouth as he straightened up. I shiver ran through me, going straight to my lady parts.

We suddenly heard loud voices calling our names out and I finally tore my eyes away from Edward. Tyler, Mike, Rosalie, Emmett, Eric and Angela were making their way towards us. They were being loud and embarrassing, the boys shoving each other while the girls laughed loudly beside them. I cringed as pedestrians moved out of their way, eyeing my friends angrily.

Rosalie walked up to me and asked for some of my lemonade. I handed it over with a smile, noticing how pink her eyes were. She too was thoroughly stoned. The four of us girls walked in a group in front of the boys as we made our way through the mall, stopping here and there at jewelry stands or hat stands. We laughed loudly, putting on a show, while we tried on hats and earrings. Alice found a few handmade friendship bracelets. We each bought one and tied the bracelets around each other's left wrists. I smiled happily at mine. It was a midnight blue with patters of white and orange. Rosalie got a pink one, Alice got red and Angela got green.

As we made our way through the mall, a few times I caught older men eyeing our short skirts. At one point I saw Rosalie wink at some fifty-year-old bald dude before popping her hip out suggestively. I laughed, elbowing her side.

Eventually, we found a store that was meant mainly for women's dance or exercise clothing equipment. I walked around the isles with Rose, looking at yoga shorts and cotton tights. We laughed at the different colors, knowing that no color other than grey or black would look descent enough to wear with dark teal uniforms.

"Don't they have dressing rooms?" I asked looking around.

"Who gives a shit?" Rosalie said.

"I'm not gonna strip right in the middle of the store, Rose," I argued.

"You have a skirt on, Bella," she laughed. "Just pull them on under your skirt."

Rosalie followed me into a corner where I stepped out of my boots and pulled off my yoga shorts before trying on the new pair. There weren't any mirrors, so Rosalie watched me, offering me her constructive criticisms, while sucking on the straw of my lemonade.

"Those aren't short enough," she said. "I can see them from behind."

Rosalie walked back to the many piles of yoga shorts and got me a smaller size. I tried those on and with her approval I grabbed five more. Luckily, they were pretty cheap. We moved over to a row of tights were I pulled them on one by one, trying them on for size. As I was stripping the second pair down my legs, I heard a few whistles of approval. I looked up and saw the boys watching me; Edward was with them, a wide smile plastered across his face. I saw his eyes drift up my legs before they reached my eyes. Rosalie looked at them over her shoulder and then laughed loudly when she saw the blush creep up my face.

I sighed dramatically and pulled my yoga shorts and boots on before walking over to the register. As I paid, the man behind the register told me there was a dressing room in the corner. He pointed it out and gave me a look. I blushed, avoiding his gaze. I was afraid he'd notice how high I was and would call security to have me escorted from the mall for stripping in public.

_Well_, I thought. _Its not like he saw anything that wasn't worth seeing. _

I chuckled at my stupidity.

The girls and I walked over to the boys as we exited the store; I made sure to stuff my newly bought items into my backpack. I listened to them chat about what we should do next. Emmett suggested a park nearby. He said it was walking distance so we didn't need to drive there. We all agreed before leaving the mall and stepping out into the cold air. It was freezing, but the air still felt nice on my skin. I couldn't help but notice how strange I was acting lately; I didn't mind the rain or the cold anymore. Forks was making me crazy.

As we made our way towards the park, it was already twilight. The boys walked ahead of us, laughing and acting like dorks. The girls and I hung back, our arms looped in one another's. I looked around at the many buildings we passed. Port Angeles looked like any other city. It was cute, but kind of small; the building lights glittering old and warn. Port Angeles had been around for a while. I smiled, tilting my chin up as the breeze blew through my hair.

We were rounding a corner when we came upon a group of guys who looked to be in their early twenties. They were laughing and speaking very loudly when they came to pause as they approached us. The girls and I stopped, our path momentarily blocked. The men eyed us, I could only imagine what they saw; small teenage girls with little uniform skirts. All day we were practically begging for attention.

Rosalie laughed at their expressions before pushing past them. One of the guys stopped her, placing a hand on her arm.

"Hey, cutie," he said in a loud gruff voice.

I stood beside Rosalie and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Her arm tightened around mine.

"Where are you ladies off to?" he asked, eyeing each of us.

"None of your damn business," Rosalie said, tossing her hair over he shoulder.

I looked up at her in surprise. Though her grip on my arm was tight and alarmed, her face remained cool and collected.

I swallowed at looked over my shoulder at Alice and Angela. They were watching Rosalie with mirrored masks of surprise. There was no laughter in their faces now.

"Oh, honey," the guy continued. "You've got a little fight in you. I like that." The guy moved closer to us, and my eyes traveled over the thick muscles in his arms.

"Fuck off," Rosalie said as she tried to make her way around him.

I watched the guy shift in front of her, blocking her way again. And then I felt my heart begin to accelerate when the five other men behind him moved to block our way as well. I was way too fucking high for this shit. I could feel the paranoia seep into my consciousness. The men were all tall and thick with muscle, towering over us. This was a fight we wouldn't win. I could see it in their faces. They all looked at us, lust in their eyes as they glanced down at our petite frames and short skirts. One of the guys blew a kiss to Alice. She stared back at him emotionless.

"Now don't be like that," the first guy said to Rosalie.

One of his friends with a red shirt stepped forward and ran his hand roughly down my arm.

"Don't touch me," I said in a shaky voice, taking a step backward. I pulled Rosalie with me.

"Come on, man, she doesn't want to be touched like that," another guy in a blue shirt said.

_Was he the mediator?_ I thought.

"Hey," an angry voice shot out suddenly. It was Emmett.

I peeked over Red Shirt's shoulder and saw Emmett approach, flanked by Edward, Tyler and Jasper, and then Mike and Eric behind them. They all looked pissed and ready for a fight. I watched as all five of our boys puffed out their chests. They were just as tall as the six men in front of us. I felt instant relief from the sight of them.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Tyler said; his hands were balled into fists at his sides.

"What the fuck is your problem?" the guy in front of Rosalie said. His words slurred slightly.

"You are my fucking problem," Emmett said. I thought I heard him growl.

"You know these girls?" Blue Shirt guy asked.

"Yeah, we know them," Emmett snarled. "So back the fuck off."

"Sorry about that," Blue Shirt said, and I watched as he tugged the arm of the guy in front of Rosalie. "Have a good evening."

_Yup, he was definitely the mediator_, I thought.

He pressed his palm against his friend's chests, and slowly they all turned and walked away, mumbling profanities under their breath.

"Are you girls ok?" our guys asked. They all relaxed their posture, but I could still see the anger in their eyes.

I was mostly watching Edward and the way he stared after the six retreating figures.

"We're fine," I said in a shaky voice.

Edward met my gaze, his eyes immediately softening. He could probably hear how nervous I still was. After a few minutes of talking about what had just happened, all nine of us continued down the block towards the park. In minutes were all laughing at how pissed off Edward looked after the college dudes left and how awesome Rosalie was for trying to take them on all by herself.

Edward laughed at Rosalie, throwing an arm around her shoulders, hugging her into his side. I watched as he congratulated her for her boldness. She laughed and pushed him away, saying something about how she'd kicked his ass in middle school and could kick his ass again. I sighed, secretly wishing that I could be the one under his arm.

The park was dark with a few lit lamps and so we made our way over to a nearby set of swings. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Emmett and Edward took off at a sprint, racing each other to the top of metal monkey bars stacked in a pyramid. They were both so fast. I watched as their long legs propelled them forward at an amazing speed. Rosalie and I were in hysterics when we saw them fight at the top of the pyramid, pushing each other off. Rosalie and I sat on a set of swings while Jasper withdrew the pipe and filled the bowl.

"Who wants the greens?" he asked.

"I do," Rosalie said, reaching for the pipe.

She took a hit and then passed it to me. I shook my head and let her pass it to Alice as Edward and Emmett approached. Edward didn't take any either, but Emmett did before passing it to Mike. I looked over my shoulder then, searching for Angela. My eyes found her, straddling Eric under a nearby tree. They were barely visible beneath the shadows, but I could see the way they were moving.

I looked away and met Edward's gaze. His eyes flickered over my shoulder to Angela and Eric before they darted back to me. He pursed his lips, his expression unreadable. After a few minutes, we all started making fun of Mike because he was so stoned he couldn't even move. He was sitting on the soft ground with his legs crossed, his eyes darting to each of us as we spoke.

"Mike," Alice giggled, pushing on his shoulder.

He looked up at her but didn't comment. He didn't even smile.

"Dude, you are totally fucking stuck," Tyler said. Laughing hard and clutching at his ribs. He collapsed onto the soft green grass beside Mike, resting his head in his hands to stare up at the sky. "Fuuuuuck," Tyler said, his eyes gazing up in wonder. "Look," he gestured with his hand.

We all looked up and I gasped in awe. The sky was actually clear. The clouds had separated and many tiny white stars glittered down happily at us.

"Oh my God," I whispered, my eyes dancing over the night sky.

"Come on," Alice said, tugging on Jasper's hand as she moved to lay her head beside Tyler.

Rosalie went next, followed by Emmett. I looked up at Edward and smiled. He smiled back at me. I lay down next to Emmett and Edward followed, laying his head beside mine. We all made a few comments about the sky and how rare it is to see the stars. I felt like I was sharing something special with them.

Tyler started talking about something he had seen on the Travel channel. Something about ancient aliens and people's experiences with alien abduction and time travel. Everyone was quiet, listening to his theories. But I was listing to Edward breathe beside me. I turned my head to look at him. His expression was calm as he stared up at the sky. I watched his profile, my eyes traveling over the shape of his forehead, his straight nose and full lips.

Edward's eyes shifted down before he turned and looked at me. His eyes swept over my face until they lingered on my mouth. I felt my heart rate pick up as I looked back at him. His eyes glowed almost yellow. The moon and lamps cast shadows over his face, but I could still easily make out his features. Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and gazing back at me. I felt myself blush beneath his gaze. His eyes looked… _hungry_.

We stared at each other for another minute. Sharing the same amount of want in our silence. And then someone said it was getting late and we had better head home. Edward looked away first and sat up. He was motionless for a moment before getting to his feet and reaching a hand out to me. He pulled me up easily. I could still feel the heat from his hand in mine.

The walk back to the mall parking lot was quick. We were sobering up now and didn't find anything really funny anymore. Tyler looked really tired, but he shrugged off Emmett's offer to drive home. When we got to the parking lot, Edward offered to take Alice and Emmett home if Tyler took Jasper and Rosalie. He said it was easier for him and wouldn't have to make too many stops. Tyler shrugged and then called me over to his van.

"No, I'll take Bella home," Edward said. His voice was low. "She lives on the way to Alice's place."

Something flickered across Tyler's face, but it was gone before I got a better look.

We all exchanged quick goodbyes as we approached the separate cars. Emmett and Alice climbed into the back seat and I took the front again. As we pulled out of the parking structure, Emmett began complaining about hunger pains, and munchies and how cranky he gets if he doesn't eat something after he smokes. We all laughed and agreed to stopping at a McDonalds before we hit the freeway.

After pulling into the McDonalds drive through and collecting our orders, Edward parked and we all dug in. Alice and I got chicken nuggets with fries and a drink. Emmett and Edward got large hamburger meals. We all ate in silence for a while before I suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Emmett asked, nudging me on the shoulder with his hand.

"Nothing," I choked out. "Its just funny how we're all concentrating hard on our food. I don't know," I shrugged.

They all started laughing at me and my observations. It was late and I figured we were all going a little insane from crashing from our highs.

Once we got on the freeway, the drive home was very quiet. Peeking over my shoulder I saw that Emmett and Alice had fallen asleep. Alice's head was resting on Emmett's shoulder. Edward glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"They're asleep," I whispered to him.

He smiled down at me and then glanced at my legs.

"How was Gym?" he asked, his eyes back on the road.

"Fine," I lied, as I pulled my hair out of my ponytail.

"Not fine," Edward said, and then his fingertips brushed against the bruise on my knee.

I jumped slightly form his touch, but he didn't pull away. I glanced down at his hand, his warm fingers resting on the aching bump on my knee. I looked up and met his gaze.

"I fell," I said.

Edward nodded and placed both hands on the steering wheel.

"What are you doing this weekend?" I asked in a low voice.

Edward shrugged.

I sat for a minute, running my fingers through my messy hair, as I tried to think of something to say. I wanted to hear Edward speak again.

"Emmett's birthday is coming up," Edward whispered as he peeked at Emmett over his shoulder. Emmett was still asleep.

"Yeah?" I responded. I watched Edward, waiting for him to continue.

"Rosalie and I were thinking of throwing him a party next weekend."

"That sounds nice," I said.

"We haven't figured out where we're going to have the party. Mike said we could use his place, but…" Edward scrunched his nose in dislike.

"You don't like Mike?" I asked, trying to read his expression.

Edward glanced at me, searching my face.

"No, its not that," Edward said, his voice was still very low. "Mike and I are friends. I just don't think his house is big enough. Emmett knows a lot of people, so Mike's house wont work."

"Oh."

"I should talk to Tyler," Edward murmured under his breath.

We arrived to Charlie's at around 11:30. Edward pulled up to the curb and parked, letting the car idle.

"Who's truck?" Edward asked as he glanced over at the driveway.

"Mine," I said with a smile.

Edward looked over at me, smiling back. I could see the questions in his eyes.

"Charlie bought me a truck last night," I said. "From one of his friends, Billy Black."

Edward nodded, his eyes roaming over the faded red paint of the truck. As I watched him, I felt a sudden pull in my chest. I wanted so badly to reach over and stroke his firm cheek; to lean in and kiss is soft pout. I bit my lip as his eyes flickered to me. I held his gaze for a moment, resisting the temptation to crush my mouth to his.

"Well, goodnight," I finally whispered, tearing my eyes away from him. I reached for my bags before pulling open the car door.

"Goodnight," Edward whispered.

I glanced back at him, giving him a small smile over my shoulder before I shut his door behind me. Edward waited for me to open the front door of Charlie's house before he peeled out and sped down the street. I stared after him until his Volvo was completely out of sight.

As I made my way into the living room, I could hear Charlie snoring, the sound a few notes higher than the low television. He was sprawled out on the small couch, his head on one end and his feet hanging off of the other. His arms were crossed firmly over his chest and his brows were knit together in a small frown. He looked so young lying there like that.

I walked over and ran my fingers gingerly through his soft curly hair. He stirred in his sleep before slowly opening his eyes.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey," he murmured as he rubbed his palms into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm late," I said.

"Sure, kid," Charlie said. He yawned loudly and then sat up.

As we made our way upstairs together, he asked me about what I had bought at Port Angeles and if I had fun. I told him I did and wished him a good night before I headed to my room.

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**Author's Note:**

**Another speedy update.**

**I want to thank those of you who came out of lurking to post a review! You are awesome and you put a huge smile on my face! :D :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	9. Chapter 9: First Beach

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: First Beach**

The next morning I woke up pretty late. All I dreamt about was Edward Cullen. All I could think about was his face. It was the last thing I thought of before I went to bed and the first thing that fluttered past my eyelids when I woke up. It was exhausting. All I wanted to do was see him and talk to him. I missed him already. I missed his voice, his face, even his smell. I was addicted to his very presence.

I got up and took a long shower, my mind buzzing with last night's trip to Port Angeles. I kept thinking about the way he had looked at me beneath the stars; the hunger that lingered in his eyes. I was practically kicking myself for not initiating a kiss before I said goodnight. I was craving the feel of his lips against mine, the taste of him on my tongue. I was already beginning to forget the way his hands felt on my body the other night when were alone in my room. It all seemed so fuzzy now, though it had only happened a few days ago.

In my bedroom, I changed into a pair of dark low-rise skinny jeans and a small black t-shirt with the _Jacksonville Suns_ logo on the front; Phil had given me the shirt before I left Phoenix. I combed and blow-dried my hair until it flowed nicely around my face and threw on some mascara.

Downstairs, Charlie was in the process of frying eggs. I walked over to the fridge and opened the door. All I could find were a few condiments, some water bottles and half n half. I sighed.

"Dad, I think I'm gonna go to the market," I said.

Charlie glanced at me over his shoulder, his eyes flickering between the empty refrigerator and me.

"Sure kid," he said, and then he pulled some cash out of his wallet.

I took the money from him before I ran back up the stairs to grab some shoes and a jacket. I pulled on my black and white checkered vans, a snug blue-grey zip-up hoodie, my wallet, my phone and the truck keys.

"I'll be back soon," I called as I pulled the front door open.

I pulled my hood over my head as I made my way over to the truck. It was drizzling again.

As I yanked the driver's door open I heard a soft pounding of heavy feet approach. I looked over my shoulder and saw Edward and Emmett jogging towards me on the sidewalk. I turned and smiled at them as they came to a slow stop at the back of my truck.

"Hey," I said, walking over to them.

"Hey shorty," Emmett called.

They were both dressed up in jogging gear.

Edward was wearing a light grey hoodie with a baseball cap underneath. I watched as he pulled his hood down and shifted the cap to lie backwards on his head. I could see beads of sweat along his forehead, temples, cheeks, and upper lip.

"So this is what you guys do on Saturday mornings?" I teased.

"Got to stay fit, Bella," Emmett said as he twisted and stretched his lower back. "Football season starts in a few months."

"You guys are on the football team?" I asked, glancing at Edward.

He nodded. I didn't miss the way his eyes shifted over my body. I was suddenly hyper aware of my outfit. My shirt was a little short, and I knew a few inches of flesh right above my pelvis was visible beneath the hem of my shirt. I gulped and dropped my gaze.

"Where are you off to on this glorious morning?" Emmett asked as he held his hands out to collect some rainwater.

"The grocery store," I chuckled.

"Do you want some company?" Emmett asked with a genuine smile.

I didn't have a chance to answer because Charlie had suddenly pulled the front door opened and stepped outside.

"Morning, Chief Swan," Edward and Emmett said in unison. I watched as they shifted uncomfortably on their feet.

"Morning boys," Charlie said as he approached us.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Gotta make a stop at the station. There was another animal attack, damn wolves," he said in a gruff voice.

I cringed.

"I'll be home in a few hours," Charlie added before he turned to face Edward and Emmett. "So what are you boys up to?"

They both smiled sheepishly beneath Charlie's gaze.

"They offered to go with me to the store," I said. "I hang out with Edward and Emmett at school." I gave Charlie a look.

Charlie nodded, scrutinizing the Cullen brothers in front of me.

"You kids be good," he said, glancing at me before turning back to the boys, his voice full of authority. "And tell Doctor Carlisle I said hi."

Charlie walked away, but before he pulled his car door opened he turned back to me.

"You still got your pepper spray?" he asked.

"Bye dad," I groaned, turning fifty shades of red.

All three of them laughed at my obvious embarrassment.

"Let's go," I said as I climbed into the truck.

Edward and Emmett walked around to the other side of the truck and climbed in. Edward got the middle and Emmett got the end. I blushed furiously when Edward's knee brushed against mine. And then I blushed even further when I realized I had never driven the truck before.

_Great_, I thought. _Now they get to bare witness to my horrible driving skills_.

I turned the key in the ignition and the beast of a truck roared to life. Edward chuckled under his breath as I glanced up at him with wide eyes.

"Sorry," I murmured

"For what?" he asked, looking down at me with the beautiful crooked smile on his lips.

My eyes flickered to the light sheen of sweat still coating his face. His cheeks were a little flushed from his run but his eyes looked clear. Perfect jade today.

"I don't know," I breathed, my mind already in a daze.

Edward looked away, his eyes taking in the interior of the truck. I shifted gears and pulled easily out of the driveway before heading down the road to the market.

I was so ridiculously nervous as I drove down the road. I was hyper aware of Edward's presence beside me. My heart would thud angrily every time his leg or arm brushed against me. And every time I changed lanes or made a turn, I over analyzed my driving skills and blushed whenever I jerked the steering wheel too forcefully or braked to quickly. Edward's scent wasn't helping either. I could smell his deodorant and his sweat and it was the most delicious fucking smell in the world.

_Is he wearing Old Spice?_ I thought.

I had to clench my teeth together to keep from moaning out loud.

"So… football, huh?" I asked. I tried to make small talk to distract myself from the quivering sensation in my low belly.

Emmett and Edward began talking about football and the team. How junior varsity and senior varsity players play on one team because there aren't enough players to form two teams. They talked about what schools they play and when the season is supposed to start. Right now they're conditioning, which I learned begins a few weeks after the end of the previous season. Conditioning consisted of weight training, and speed and agility training.

_No wonder Edward's body is so amazing,_ I thought. My mouth watered as images of Edward's bare torso fluttered past my mind.

"But you guys smoke weed and drink beer?" I asked skeptically.

"Right now we do," Emmett said. "But once we get closer to the season we clean up pretty well."

Edward snorted under his breath.

During the drive to the market, I also found out that Tyler and Mike are on the team. The first game of the season starts some time in August and lasts for about a few months. I smiled to myself as I listened to the boys talk about rival teams from La Push and Port Angeles and how they wished there were more teams out there for Forks to play.

A few times I would glance over at Edward. My eyes flickered to his black basketball shorts. I could see the lines of muscle on his thighs through the thin fabric. His leg looked so much bigger than mine. My eyes shifted taking in his size compared to mine and then I blushed. I wanted so badly to wrap my hand around his thigh to feel the tight muscle beneath.

We reached the market finally and I watched as Edward pulled off his hoodie to leave it behind in my truck. His shirt rode up by accident when it got caught on his sweatshirt. My eyes traveled hungrily along the exposed flesh of his back. His skin tone was a creamy warm color, and it looked so smooth. I watched as his muscles flexed and bulged as he forced his sweater off of his arms. He also had two little dimples on his lower back, which peaked out above the fabric of his dark boxer briefs.

I almost fainted from the sight of him. Alice was right. I was the girl who swoons at the sight of Edward Cullen.

In the grocery store, Emmett and Edward walked beside me, helping me find the various pieces I needed. I had a long list, which I read from every few minutes.

"Alright," Emmett said, rubbing his hands together. "What are we getting?"

Emmett was walking beside me while Edward was pushing the kart.

"Everything," I said as I read from my list. "Bread, milk, eggs, coffee, vegetables, potatoes, steak…" I glanced up at Emmett. "The list goes on."

Emmett laughed and then said he needed to use the bathroom. He strode away quickly, leaving Edward and I alone. Edward was quiet most of the time while I picked out various packages from all of the appropriate food groups. It went by fairly quickly with his help. He picked out the low fat milk and eggs for me, while I left to grab the steak I would be cooking for dinner that night. We grabbed some cereal, and bread before heading to the fruit and vegetable section. I grabbed apples, bananas, onions, garlic, and various fresh herbs and spices.

"I never would have imagined Chief Swan as much of a cook," Edward said as he smiled crookedly at me.

I laughed. "Charlie doesn't know how to cook. I'll be the one doing the cooking."

"Really?" Edward asked sounding amused. "You should make me dinner some time."

I glanced up at him and blushed beneath his gaze.

His smile widened as he took in my rosy cheeks.

After I paid for the many bags of groceries, Edward and Emmett helped me carry them out to my truck. Emmett had also bought a few protein bars and some muscle milk.

Once we were back on the road, I offered to drive the boys home. They lived a little out of town, but I offered to drive them anyway. I was happy to.

"I think Jessica Stanley is setting up a bonfire at First Beach tonight," Emmett said.

I glanced over at him.

"You should ask your dad if you can go," Emmett continued. "It's supposed to be dry tonight. It'll be fun."

"Sure," I said.

Edward directed me to their house. There were many twists and turns, but I eventually found the place. Their house was large with white pillars. It looked very old, a Victorian-esque style, but in great condition.

"Wow," I said in a low voice. "You guys live here?"

The answer was obvious.

Emmett laughed before climbing out of the truck to grab his bag from the truck bed. I glanced at Edward beside me, wondering how long he had lived there. Was Elizabeth inside? Should I ask him about his mother? For some reason I knew that now was not the time. So I stayed quiet and watched as he shifted towards the passenger door.

"Don't forget to ask Charlie," Edward said in a low voice.

My eyes met his and I gave him a small nod.

"Text me later and let me know what he says," Edward continued. "We're supposed to head over at around 7. I'll pick you up."

I felt my tummy flutter again and I gave him a small smile.

"Ok," I said.

He gave me his dazzling crooked smile before shutting the door behind him. I drove home in a daze. Actually, I was in too much of a daze. I got lost a couple of times before finally finding the right road that led me home. I couldn't wait to ask Charlie if I could go out tonight. Sure, I knew it would be freaking cold, but so what? I wanted to hang out with Edward. And if an opportunity presented itself, then I was definitely going to take it.

At home, I marinated a couple of stakes, made a small salad and prepared some potatoes to make for dinner. When Charlie finally came home, the steak was already frying in the pan and the potatoes were in the oven, roasting.

As I sat with my dad at the dinner table, I finally asked him if I could go to the bonfire. He seemed a little annoyed.

"Is there going to be alcohol?" he asked.

"I don't think so," I said. I didn't exactly lie to him, but I didn't tell him the truth either. I knew there was most likely going to be alcohol, but I wasn't exactly positive. And anyway, if I told him 'yes,' the last thing I wanted was for my father to show up and bust my new friends for underage drinking.

"Alright," he said. "But take your pepper spray. And if anything happens and you need a ride home, don't hesitate to call me."

"Sure dad," I said.

"I mean it, Bells," Charlie muttered. "I don't want you to get yourself into any trouble. If you need a ride because the Cullen boy ends up drinking, don't hesitate to call me."

I sighed. "I promise I wont hesitate to call you," I replied. I suppressed and eye roll.

It was around 5:30 when I finally sent Edward a text.

_I'm in for tonight_, I wrote.

_Cool. Be there around 7._ -Edward

Alice called me a half hour later, just as I had finished getting ready, and asked me if I was going tonight. I said yes and then she asked what I was going to wear. I described what I was wearing. I had on the same dark low-rise skinny jeans, black _Jacksonville Suns _t-shirt, the snug blue-grey zip-up hoodie and my checkered Vans. My outfit caused her to prattle on about fashion and my choices and how I probably look like a skater boy's wet dream. Within the next five minutes, I was thoroughly confused by the conversation.

"Send me a picture of yourself," she urged.

"Alice," I groaned. "Why? I look fine."

"I want to see," she squealed.

I took a snapshot of my outfit using the long mirror in my room and sent it to her. She called me back immediately.

"You look hot," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Thanks?" I said.

"I love the low-rise jeans and the little t-shirt. The simplicity of it all adds just enough coyness to your outfit. It shows just enough skin. Very few girls can pull that look off. You look casual chic," she added in a chipper voice.

I was even more confused now.

We hung up after a few minutes and then I went to the bathroom to add some eyeliner to my eyes and hairspray in my hair. When 7 o'clock finally came I grabbed my phone and some cash before heading down to the living room.

After a minute, my phone buzzed.

It was a text from Edward.

_I'm outside. _-Edward

I called a quick goodbye to Charlie before heading out towards Edward's car. Emmett was right; the air was dry, or at least as dry as it could be in Forks. Emmett climbed out of the car as I approached, and he held the seat forward for me so that I could climb in.

"Hi," I said as took my seat beside Rosalie and Jasper.

"Hey cutie," Rosalie said as she offered me a wide smile.

I glanced up at Edward and gave him a timid smile before he pulled away from the curb and headed to Stanley's Liquor. After a bit of hustling, Emmett was able to persuade a young woman to buy him a twelve back of beer and then we were speeding down the road to La Push.

When we entered the reservation, Emmett packed a bowl of weed and passed the pipe around to each of us. Edward pulled up to the beach before he took a hit from the pipe. We stayed in the car for a few minutes and I watched as Edward repacked the bowl and took at hit of the greens. Once we were all feeling good, we climbed out of the car and made our way through the sand. It was the first time I had seen Edward wearing something other than his school uniform. He was dressed in a snug black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, which he cuffed at the ankle, and black and white high-top converse. I could see the end of a red and grey plaid shirt peek out from beneath his jacket. His hair was in its usual disarray. He looked amazing.

As we moved further into the sand, I could already see the large bonfire. There was a large crowd of people dancing, laughing and drinking and there was loud rap music playing.

"Stay close to me," Rosalie said as she looped her arm in mine.

Rosalie and I made our way over to Alice and Angela, who were standing with a few other girls I hadn't met before. As we approached, the girl with a short blond bob looked me up and down with a small grimace on her face. I frowned and looked over my shoulder. Edward was with Emmett and Jasper. He met my gaze and gave me a small smile before turning his attention towards a group of guys.

"Bella!" Angela said. She gave me a quick hug before turning towards the group of girls I didn't know. "Lauren, Jess, Kate, this is Bella."

Lauren was the girl with the bob. She continued to give me a dirty look, which I tried my best to ignore.

Alice handed Rosalie and I a couple of beers, which we popped open and guzzled down. I was happy I was high, this way I didn't give a shit if some blond jerk gave me dirty looks. After standing around awkwardly for a minute, with Rosalie's arm still looped in mine, Edward, Emmett and Jasper made their way over to us. I watched as Jasper's arms wrapped around Alice's shoulders and placed a soft kiss on her temple. She sighed and leaned into him.

"Ladies," Emmett's voice boomed as he hugged Lauren and Jessica into a loose hug. I didn't miss the way Rosalie rolled her eyes at him.

As Edward stood beside Emmett, I watched as Lauren turned her attention to him. She reached out and grabbed the front of his jacket, fisting her hand into the supple leather as she pulled him towards her.

"Edward," she moaned with a wide smile on her face.

Edward had a lit cigarette between his teeth and his hands were deep in his jacket pockets as he moved towards her. His chin was up as he gazed down upon her.

"I had a party last week, how come you didn't come?" Lauren whined like a cat in heat.

"Something came up," Edward shrugged with a small smile as he pulled the cigarette from between his lips.

Lauren reached a hand up to cup the back of Edward's neck so she could pull him down and whisper in his ear. I watched them from the corner of my eye. Her lips moved quickly, brushing against his ear. I couldn't help but scrutinize his face, searching for some evidence of enjoyment as her lips made contact with his skin. Edward's eyes were focused on the ground as he listened, his expression nonchalant. Lauren slowly pulled away from him and offered a wide smile, which he returned casually.

I couldn't tell if he was flirting back with her, or if he was just being polite. Either way, it started to annoy me. It was the first time I witnessed a girl flirt with him. I new I was being irrational by getting mad, but I couldn't help it.

As I was standing there, trying to mind my own business, someone suddenly grabbed me from around my waist and flipped me over their shoulder. I screamed in utter panic as my hair whipped around my face, blinding me.

"Bella!" It was Tyler beneath me.

"Stupid jerk!" I half screamed, half laughed, as I hit my fist against his back. "You're lucky I was smart enough to drop my beer. I would have drenched us both."

Tyler's laugh boomed loudly as he swung me in circles before putting me down on my feet. I had to cling to his thick muscular arm as I swayed dangerously on the spot. My high was full blown by now.

"When did you get here?" I asked as I ran my fingers through my hair. I watched as Mike approached us with a lit cigarette between his lips.

"Just now," Tyler said. He was still smiling broadly at me. "We had to pick up some stuff. You look good, Bella." Tyler's eyes roamed over my exposed stomach and belly button. I was still trying to fix my hair.

"What's up, Bella?" Mike said as he offered me a drag of his cigarette, which I took.

I was happy to see he wasn't being weird today. He still gave me eager glances and licked his lips suggestively when I took a drag from his cigarette, but he at least kept his distance.

I hung out close beside Rosalie and Alice for most of the evening. I didn't bother to stray too far with Mike or Tyler. At one point some hip-hop song that everyone liked came on and Rosalie dragged me closer to the fire pit to dance with the large group of people. I glanced around me, watching as everyone began to bounce and dry hump each other. I groaned at the sight and had to practically fight Rosalie off of me.

"I can't dance, Rose," I said as I yanked my hand out of her grasp.

"Sure you can," she argued as she reached for my other hand.

"No, really," I urged her. "I really can't. Do you want me to make a fool out of myself?"

"Don't be silly, Bella," she laughed. She was pretty tipsy now and very overpowering, I could barely get my hands free.

Strong arms suddenly slid around my waist from behind and I flinched in surprise before I turned to see whom they belonged to. Edward was smiling down at me. I gasped from his close proximity. His teeth were perfect and strait and they practically glowed in the firelight. I forgot how much bigger he was than me. The top of my head barely reached his chin and his shoulders were wide as they enveloped me.

I was so wrapped up with the fact that Edward's arms were suddenly around me and his sent surrounding me that I hadn't realized he was towing me around. He was dancing with me. I felt like I had just pulled my head out of a cloud when I noticed his shoulders began to rock from side to side as his hips pressed against mine.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"Dancing with you," he murmured in my ear.

His breath sent a shiver down my spine, and my body trembled in his grasp. I knew for a fact that he noticed. I could tell by the way he looked at me. His lips curled into that perfect crooked smile, making me blush furiously.

"Edward," I groaned. "I can't dance."

I had to tear my eyes away from him. I was already having trouble concentrating from the way his hands slid up my sides beneath my jacket. My body trembled again involuntarily, but I kept my feet planted firmly into the sandy ground. There was no fucking way I was going to dance. I had no rhythm; I had no sense of coordination. There was no _way_ I was going to embarrass myself further today.

Edward watched my face for a minute; he could tell I wasn't going to budge, but that didn't seem to faze him. His smile spread wider as he reached for my arms and threw them around his neck. His hands slid down my back and his arms wrapped securely around my waist as he began to move against me. His strength was overpowering as he crouched down slightly to push one of his knees between mine. My body was fitted tightly against his and I was forced to move with him. I watched his face as he moved against me and I could taste his breath on my tongue. If I was brave enough, I would have reached up and kissed him right then. But I didn't. I wasn't brave. I was a lame inexperienced little girl.

I heard Alice call something out to me. Something about the way we were dancing, but my mind couldn't process her words. Edward had suddenly dipped his head down to rub his nose quickly against mine, only once. That was enough to completely dazzle me. I was so far gone, complete putty in Edward's grasp. His body felt strong and warm against me. It was then that I realized I didn't even give a shit if I was making a fool out of myself. As long as Edward had his arms around me, I could care less about what the heck was going on outside of my little bubble.

As the song came to an end Edward's rhythm began to slow, and then carefully, he released me. I felt my heart flutter with adrenaline as he moved away from me.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked before he nudged my jokingly.

I shook my head, giggling.

"No," I said. "I guess it wasn't."

Alice came over to me then and she wrapped her arms around my neck as she whispered in my ear.

"Angela is fucking Eric under the lifeguard station!" she hissed.

I met her gaze.

"Lets go watch them!" she squealed, taking my hand in hers.

"What's going on?" Edward asked her.

"Angela and Eric are fucking under the lifeguard station," she whispered close to his face.

Edward's eyes went wide as he looked back at her.

"Let's go check it out!" His face was full of mocked excitement.

Alice laughed loudly as she tugged me along with her. For such a little person, she was really strong. I jogged beside her and Edward as we approached a small group of people who were carefully making their way towards the lifeguards little hut which stood about five feet off the ground. Among the group of people were Rosalie, Jasper, Tyler and Jessica. Rosalie handed me her beer when I fell into step beside her. I chugged the rest of her beer down before tossing the can away on the sand.

We all approached the hut slowly. Every few minutes we had to stop and cover our mouths to stifle our laughter. I didn't even know what was so funny. All I knew was that I couldn't keep a straight face if my life depended on it. I was so giddy. I never even got to see Angela and Eric because Rosalie and I broke out into such a huge fit of laughter that we collapsed onto the sand in heap. Unfortunately, Rosalie's thick boots landed awkwardly on my left ankle and I had to stifle my shriek. Soon I was doubled over in a fit of crying from both laughter and pain.

"What happened?" Rosalie asked as she wiped tears from my cheeks.

"Your heavy ass boot landed on my ankle," I laughed. Fuck, I was in pain.

A minute later, Edward was crouched down beside.

"Are you ok?" he asked. He was in the middle fighting back his laughter as well.

"I fell," I whined as I clutched my ankle.

"Can you walk?" He grabbed me beneath my shoulders and pulled me easily to my feet.

"Ouch!" I cried as I tried to put weight on my foot.

Edward laughed a deep throaty laugh before he draped my right arm over his right shoulder and swung me onto his back. He swung me so easily it was as if I didn't way a thing. His hands slid beneath my thighs before settling behind my knees.

"Um," I muttered. "I'm a little heavier than your average backpack."

Edward snorted before helping Rosalie to her feet and walking slowly back towards the bonfire.

Again, I was stunned all over again by the smell radiating off of Edward. My face was so close to his neck, I could taste his scent again. I let my arms fall loosely around his neck, over his chest, and then I giggled as his shirt tickled my hands.

"What's so funny?" he asked as he turned his head peer at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Your shirt is tickling my fingers," I giggled again.

Edward smiled before reaching up to envelop both of my hands inside of his. His hand felt so large against mine. I was surprised by the way Edward was treating me. He was giving me so much attention. It was confusing and exciting, both at the same time. I didn't want it to end.

As we approached the bonfire, Edward pulled me from his back and sat me down a large piece of driftwood that stood as a small bench. Rosalie sat beside me, apologizing for injuring my ankle.

"Its not that bad, Rose," I said as I twisted my ankle in a circle. It really wasn't. It was now just a dull ache. It wasn't a sprain or anything.

Edward gave me a small smile before he turned and walked off to hang out with his guy friends. I couldn't help but pout as I watched him go. The attention he gave me came and went so easily. And within the next few minutes, Lauren was right back to hugging his waist and laughing like a hyena. I didn't understand their relationship.

"What's going on with Edward and Lauren?" I asked Rosalie in a low voice.

She turned her gaze away from her iPhone and glanced up to where Edward stood with Lauren and group of other people.

"I don't know," Rosalie answered honestly. "I know Lauren has a thing for him. I mean, its not like she's hiding it. But I don't think they're hooking up or anything."

Her attention was back on her phone as she typed in a text message.

I watched as Lauren started dancing in front of Edward and I began kicking myself again for not making a move when I had the chance.

_Why didn't I just fucking kiss him_, I thought to myself.

As if I had called out his name, Edward's head snapped up towards me, his eyes immediately finding mine. I blushed and bit my lip as I met his gaze. He watched me for a moment before looking away. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. I watched as he gestured to a few of the guys, shrugged his shoulders or laughed when appropriate. A couple of times I watched him pull out his phone to check something.

Eventually Alice made her way over to Rosalie and I. She was thoroughly drunk and in a fit of laughter as she told us, in detail, what Eric and Angela were doing beneath the lifeguard's station. I covered my ears when she started describing the sounds Eric made when Angela went down on him.

I sat there for another hour or so while Alice, Rosalie, Jessica and Kate gossiped about God knows what. I had stopped drinking a while ago and was already pretty sober and bored out of my mine. I wished Edward would just come talk to me. I was scrolling through old text messages on my phone when Edward's voice was suddenly at my ear.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" he whispered.

I looked up at him in surprise.

"Now?" I asked in a low voice.

Edward nodded. His face was calm as he gazed back at me.

I nodded. Yes, I did want to leave.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

I stood up, testing my ankle.

"Kind of," I said, scrunching my nose. It still hurt a little.

"Come on," Edward said with a small smile as he turned to crouch down in front of me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted my left leg. Edward pulled me up onto his back easily, his arms wrapping themselves beneath my knees. I began to feel my nerves twitch excitedly as I realized we were heading to his car alone. I glanced over my shoulder to peer back at the party. No one was following. I saw Alice and Rosalie, but even they didn't seem to notice our sudden disappearance.

Edward dug into his front pocket for a moment to pull out his pack of cigarettes. I watched as he lit it and took a long drag before offering it to me. I took it from him and took a drag of my own before handing it back. I made sure to blow the smoke away from his face.

"Where are the others?" I asked timidly.

"They're getting a ride with Tyler and Angela," Edward said. His voice was low and deep. It made me shiver with excitement.

He handed the cigarette back to me and we spent the rest of the walk towards his car in silence. Once we approached the Volvo, Edward sat me down on my feet before unclipping his keys from his belt. He took one last drag from his cigarette and put it out before unlocking the door. I knew it was now or never.

I watched his face as he clicked the button on his keys and pulled the door open.

It was now or never.

Just as he stood up I reached my hand around his neck and hastily pulled his head down to mine, where I crushed my lips against his. We swayed there for a moment, our lips pressed firmly against each other's. I was the first to react. My lips parted in a loud gasp and Edward took the opportunity to shove his tongue into my mouth. I moaned low from deep in my throat as his tongue slid against mine. He tasted slightly sweet with hint of beer and cigarettes; it was all Edward. I sucked his top lip into my mouth and let my teeth graze against his supple skin. He was delicious. Even better than I remembered.

A fire ignited beneath my skin and I reached up to run my hands over his back beneath his shirt. His skin was hot and smooth against my cold hands. I heard him groan and felt him shiver against me as he pressed his erection into my stomach. Edward's hands snaked their way beneath my top where he palmed my breasts into his hands. I moaned again, forcing my chest against him.

He broke off the kiss and moved me towards the passenger side of the opened door. He bent down over me, pulling the passenger seat forward before pushing me gently into the back seat. I didn't argue. I let him control my body and stumbled my way backwards onto the smooth leather seat, ignoring the ache in my ankle. Edward followed quickly after me before shutting the door firmly behind him. His hands moved faster now that we were in the privacy of his car. He grabbed my knees and pulled me towards him so that I was straddling his lap. His hands moved roughly over my body, and I let him force my jacket off of my shoulders and my shirt over my head. Once my hands were free, I tugged his leather jacket off of him. He was faster than I was. As soon as his jacket hit the floor, he pulled his shirt over his head so that he stood bare from the waist up. My hands slid gingerly up his torso, my fingertips grazing against the many ripples of muscle and smooth skin.

Edward leaned forward and kissed me again, his tongue sliding forcefully into my mouth. His hands began to roam excitedly over my bare back, ass and covered breasts until his mouth slipped onto my neck where he sucked and nipped at my flushed skin. My body trembled with desire and my hips jerked against him involuntarily before he laid me down to press himself firmly on top of me.

His body began to move against mine, his hips jerking against my crotch. I shivered and moaned beneath him. Low whimpers began to escape my aching throat as waves of pleasure shot through me. But it wasn't enough. I needed more.

"Please," I whimpered against his neck.

"Tell me what you need," Edward moaned before he sucked the skin of collarbone into his mouth. It hurt, but in a good way.

I couldn't tell him what I needed because the truth was that I didn't know. I couldn't tell him what to do and I didn't know what to say. Did I want him to move faster? Did I want him to touch me? I couldn't think; my mind was in a fog, clouded with desire and lust. I began to wiggle beneath him, searching for a better angle against my crotch. Edward caught on quickly. His right hand slid down over my stomach before popping open the button on my jeans and tugging down my zipper. I felt my body shiver with anticipation. No one had ever touched me there before.

Edward's hand slipped into my underwear.

"Wait," I gasped. My heart was hammering hard in my chest. I was suddenly very nervous.

Edward's hand stilled against my pubic area as he raised his head to meet my gaze. I stared back at him. I could see the hunger I felt mirrored in his eyes.

"Bella," he breathed against my lips. His breath washed over me, stunning my senses. "I'll make you feel good. I promise." His voice was deep and hoarse with desire.

I stared at him for a moment and then nodded bashfully.

Edward kissed me roughly and then his hand dipped deeper into my underwear. His fingers found me and they slid up between my folds.

"You're so wet," he moaned into my mouth.

I didn't know what my reaction was. I was in a dream. All I could do was feel. Feel his fingers dip into me before sliding up and circling my clit. His fingertips worked quickly over the sensitive bundle of nerves and soon I was shaking uncontrollably beneath him while my moans erupted from deep in throat. In seconds, I was pushed over the edge.

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**Author's Note:**

**It doesn't end here... Thanks for reading! :D**

**Also, my story was added to the _Twilight FanFiction Recommendations (WiP)_ community. Thanks a lot you guys and continue to review!**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10: Preparations

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer: **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Preparations**

My consciousness shattered around me as I came. My body jerked against him repeatedly, I was only barely aware of Edward's grasp as he held my body firmly against his chest, restraining me from moving too far away from his moving fingers.

I gasped heavily, trying to breath past Edward's weight. My body felt limp and heavy, and I couldn't control the way my limbs trembled against him. Edward stayed hovering over me for only a moment, his face tucked in the crook of my neck, before his hips began to jerk against me again. Slowly, I ran my hands down his arms before brushing my fingertips against his firm stomach. I didn't know what to do or how to help him, but it seemed that my tender touch was enough to encourage him to continue.

Edward withdrew his hand from my panties and sat back on his heels. My eyes traveled down the length of his torso; wide round shoulders, firm pecks, a smooth six pack and that perfect V shaped pelvic muscle peeking out just above his underwear. I watched through blurry eyes as he undid the button on his jeans before pulling his pants down past his hips to his mid thigh. His erect penis sprang out from his underwear and I flinched at the sight. It was long and thick. It looked swollen; a few shades darker than the skin on his chest. Edward gripped himself firmly in his hand and gave his dick a hard stroke. I watched as clear liquid escaped the head. His eyes were on me as he continued to move his hand up and down while circling the head of his penis with his thumb. I reached out, offering my help.

Edward didn't hesitate before he grasped my hand and placed it firmly over his dick. My fingers couldn't reach completely around him because it was too big. Edward placed his firm hand over mine and helped me pump his length. I watched as a tremor ran through him. His eyes drifted over my body, from my opened jeans, to my breasts and finally into my eyes. He leaned down towards me and kissed me feverishly.

"Is this ok?" he asked in a low trembling voice before his lips and tongue brushed against mine.

"Yes," I whispered against his lips. "I want to help you."

Edward's eyes shut tightly as he began to pick up the pace, using my hand to stroke himself quickly from around the head while his hips continuously thrust into my palm. Every now and then he would hold his breath before releasing a strangled gasp against my mouth. I kept my eyes open, watching his face as he grew closer to his release. Edward lasted longer than I had, but when I scraped my teeth against his jaw I felt him quiver violently above me. He was on his way to his orgasm. With a few more pumps, he sat back on his heals before squirting his cum onto my stomach. I gasped as the hot liquid shot out onto my skin, a bit even landing on my cheek.

"Sorry," he mumbled in low raspy voice as he reached for his shirt.

I watched as he used his plaid shirt to wipe the cum off of my face, stomach and hand before wiping the rest that engulfed his own hand. He sat there for a moment, leaning against the side of the car, just watching me. My eyes shifted over his body again. It was only then that I saw the black ink on his left bicep.

The tattoo on his shoulder looked like some sort of map… or compass. It was difficult for me to make out the detail from my angle and dim light, but it looked like a pattern of thin lines and numbers that intersected. I could see the slight definition of a small red square with some lettering that I couldn't make out. I lay there for a moment, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he took deep breaths. His skin was practically glowing in the moonlight. My eyes flickered to his. He looked so sleepy now, his eye lids half closed.

I cracked a smile at him. He looked so beautiful.

"What are you thinking?" he asked in a low, tired voice.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure you out."

"What do you mean?"

I watched as Edward pulled his pants and boxers up over his hips before shifting his legs out from beneath him to sit against the backrest.

I sat up and adjusted my bra before pulling my t-shirt back on.

"Well, I don't really know anything about you," I muttered. I glanced up at him as I ran my hands through my hair.

"Hmm," Edward sighed.

I watched his eyes shift around the car's interior as he thought. And then his lips curved into a crooked smile.

"I don't like peas," he said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

I giggled at him.

"I play guitar and piano, I like to read," he continued. "I got this car for my seventeenth birthday." Edward rubbed his hand affectionately against the leather seat.

"When's your birthday?" I asked.

"June twentieth," he mumbled.

"You'll be eighteen this year," I mused. "And you're still a junior?"

"Yeah. I started elementary school when I was seven," he shrugged.

I felt my stomach flutter from his words.

"How come?" I asked in a low voice.

Edward let out a deep sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Another time," he said.

I nodded and studied my nails. I didn't want to push him.

"Have you always lived in Forks?" I asked after a short pause.

I watched as Edward's eyes flickered to me and then away to nothing in particular. He gave me a quick nod before pulling his phone out of his pocket. I was losing him. I could tell he didn't want to have this conversation anymore.

"It's getting late. I should take you home," he said before sitting up and pulling a grey thermal over his head.

I pulled on my jacket and buckled my jeans before following Edward out of the car to climb into the front seat.

The drive back to Forks was quiet, the only sound being the low buzz from the radio. I remember gazing out of the window, and being slowly rocked to sleep by the gentle vibrations from the Volvo as Edward drove back to Charlie's. I felt very sleepy and so incredibly comfortable in the warm car, my body relaxing into the leather seat. Before I knew it, I was being gently nudged awake.

My eyes fluttered open and I met Edward's gaze. He was hovering over me.

"Hey," he breathed into my face.

I smiled up at him before pulling my arms up to stretch my back. I saw Edward eyes shift to my exposed midriff.

"What time is it?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"A little after 12," he said.

I nodded and carefully rubbed my eyes with my knuckles.

"I'm sleepy," I moaned.

I heard Edward chuckle softly beside me.

"Thanks for the ride," I said, smiling up at him.

Edward gave me a small smile as I sat up and opened the passenger. We gave each other quick goodbyes before I closed his door and rushed quickly to Charlie's front door. It was freezing. I gave Edward a small wave before he pulled away from the curb and disappeared down the corner of my block. I sighed and stepped into the warm entryway.

The house was dark and I knew that Charlie must be asleep. I walked quickly up to my room before stripping my clothes off and climbing into bed in nothing but my panties. My mind swam with the aftermath of my night with Edward in his back seat as I settled in beneath the blankets. I replayed every touch, every kiss and every moan over and over in my head before I broke out into a fit of giggles. I had to press my pillow over my head to muffle the sounds.

As my giggles subsided, I began to mull over the soft words spoken at the end of the night. I was trying to push for information, without being a total stalker. And when he mentioned his childhood I could almost see the wall that went up around him, blocking me out. Something happened between him and his parents. And Charlie had said his father's name was Carlisle earlier that day. The Edward I knew ten years ago, his father's name had been Edward too. I wanted to know more about his childhood, but the only way I dared to do it would be to ask him on my own. I decided then and there that I wouldn't bother him with the past unless he offered to tell me. And I wouldn't mention the fact that I knew him unless I was given the perfect opportunity. I didn't know why, but I was suddenly afraid that bringing up his past would push him further away from me.

I didn't want that. I couldn't have that. I was already in too deep and the idea of never being able to talk to him or _kiss_ him again was immediately driving me crazy. I couldn't risk this thing we had by bothering him with questions about his past.

I drifted slowly to sleep with stressful thoughts of Edward rumbling around in my head.

The next morning I woke up early, unable to sleep past my irritable thoughts and the loud rain banging against my window. I sighed as I realized that last nights evening of dry weather was instantly long gone.

I spent the day cleaning, doing laundry and homework. I had a lot of catching up to do, given the fact that I had began attending Forks High right in the middle of the semester. Midterms would surely be coming up and I wanted to be prepared. I decided on making lasagna for dinner and spent most of the day in the living room with Charlie while I did my homework. He seemed pleased with my company. We talked a little about my friends and the men he hangs out with. He told me that he was planning on going fishing soon with Harry Clearwater who lives on the reservation. I asked him a little about fishing and the kinds of fish he catches. I didn't understand too much of what he was saying, but I was happy to try to keep up. Being with Charlie was so easy. There was no bullshit between us. We could easily ask each other questions or let the topic's drop and sit in silence without feeling awkward. My mother was the complete opposite. She always felt the need to constantly fill the silence with useless banter.

My mom called that day as well. We talked for a few hours and I had to apologies over and over for not calling her everyday. She talked a lot about Phil and the team and how much fun he was having. I laughed at her jokes and stories until we finally exchanged some tearful goodbyes and I love you's before hanging up.

Sunday came and went very quickly and soon it was Monday morning again. I dressed in my new uniform and a pair of tights with my boots and I blow-dried my hair straight again. Downstairs I hung out with Charlie for a few minutes before remembering to call Angela to tell her I wouldn't need a ride to school because Charlie had bought me the truck. I drove slowly to school, relaxing into the large cab as my truck thundered down the road. I was one of the first to arrive. I parked close to the gym and stayed in the truck until I spotted Angela and Alice climbing out of her Toyota.

Monday was pretty uneventful. That morning I learned that midterms were indeed coming up, so none of us made plans to hang out for a few days. As I sat with Alice in English I began to feel eager for our lunch period to start. Edward continued to plague my mind, especially after learning snippets of information about him and especially after our little rendezvous in the backseat of his car. I couldn't wait to see him again.

When the lunch bell finally rang, Alice and I made our way over to the cafeteria, grabbed some food and then went to our table. The boys were there and I caught sight of Edward. He was wearing a dark grey hoodie beneath his blazer, the hood pulled up over his head. He was hunched over onto the table, his chin resting on his forearms as he listened to something Rosalie was saying to him. His face was calm as he listened to her and I watched as his eyes flickered past her head where they landed on me. I couldn't help the small smile that spread across my face from meeting his gaze. His eyes warmed immediately and he smirked at me as I approached.

"Hi," I mumbled as I placed my tray down beside Rosalie.

Edward and I didn't speak much during the lunch hour. I ate my slice of pizza in silence as I listened to the chit-chat that took place around me. Sometimes I would glance at Edward and his eyes would be on me. Every time we made eye contact Edward would make a funny face at me, crossing his eyes or making a quick monster face by jutting out his chin and exposing his teeth. His faces caused me to snicker into my water bottle. Sometimes I would make a face back, sticking tongue out or puffing my cheeks out like a monkey. His face would break out into a wide toothy grin as he watched me, and then we'd go back to silently listening to the others talk.

Nobody mentioned anything about Edward and I leaving the bonfire early on Saturday, which was nice. I didn't feel the need to answer questions, nor did I feel the need to broach the subject. Edward seemed to be fine with the idea as well. No one was throwing me any knowing glances or pointed looks, so I figured Edward hadn't said anything either.

The bell rang, ending the lunch period and Edward, Mike and I made our way over to Biology. I listened, walking quietly between the boys, while Mike asked Edward questions about how to stretch his hips. Apparently Mike had taken a hard fall last year and his hips would start to ache every few weeks. Edward said something about them probably being out of line and to go visit the chiropractor as soon as possible. I smiled up at them, listening to their small talk.

"Are you going to try out for cheerleading this year?" Mike asked, nudging me with his elbow.

"Uh, definitely not," I half laughed.

"Why not?" he asked. "Rosalie and Lauren are on the cheer team."

"Mike, I can't even walk across a flat surface without finding something to trip over. Cheerleading would probably kill me." It was the truth.

Mike shrugged and held the classroom door open for me. Edward and I made our way over to our table before he turned to me.

"If you were a cheerleader you'd be able to cheer me on during the games," he said with small smirk.

I looked up at him surprised. Was he flirting with me?

"I can still cheer you on from the sidelines," I mumbled.

Edward laughed as he pulled off his blazer.

We spent all of Biology taking notes. Mr. Banner said we'd be having a review at the end of the week and so he wanted us all to be ready for a pop quiz. I groaned silently as my hand flew quickly across the pages of my composition book. When our class ended, Edward and I gave each other quick goodbyes before going our separate ways.

Much of the next few days were similar. Edward and I would make faces at each other during the lunch hour and then share a little bit of small talk during our walk to Biology before spending the entire class in silence as we took notes.

It was Thursday, right after Gym when Alice suggested that she, Angela, Rosalie and I should hang out after school for a little bit of girl time. I agreed and invited them over to Charlie's since he would be at work until around 7:30. I gave Rosalie a ride while Alice drove with Angela.

"I think Edward likes you," Rosalie said.

I looked up in surprise. Rosalie and I were in my room and I watched as she shrugged out of her blazer before pulling a pack of cigarettes from her messenger bag. She had the exact same bag as Edward; only she had a purple one while Edward's was military green.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, taking a cigarette from her before pulling open my bedroom windows.

"I've known Edward since we were kids, so it's safe to say that I know him pretty damn well," she said. "He looks at you differently than he looks at other girls."

I nodded as I perched myself on the windowsill, lit the cigarette and took a long drag. The breeze felt nice as it blew through my wavy hair.

"Do you like him?" she asked as she leaned against the windowsill in front of me.

"Sure," I said. "He's a great guy. What's not to like?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes at me.

"You know what I mean," she said as she took a drag from her cigarette.

I shrugged and looked away.

"What's up with you and Emmett?" I asked, changing the subject.

"We're friends," she sighed, "…with benefits."

I giggled at her.

"But you guys don't consider yourselves dating or anything?" I asked.

"Na," she shook her head. "I mean, we are totally into each other and I think he's hot and I like hanging out with him, but we like how things are going right now. You know?"

I nodded.

"We just don't want to ruin anything. With relationships come responsibilities and obligations and shit. I just… I don't want to feel obligated to fuck him or be with him."

"Yeah," I agreed, even though I didn't know much about relationships at all.

"That's kind of what Alice and Jasper are going through right now," Rosalie continued. "Jasper is really needy. They were dating for a while, but Alice broke things off when he started getting pissed off about her hanging out with her girlfriends instead of him. He expected her to check in with him before she made plans and stuff, so I guess Alice got sick of it and told him she just wanted to be friends and enjoy each other's company."

"How is he handling that?" I asked.

"She has him eating out of the palm of her hand," Rosalie laughed. "He's so sprung, it's insane."

I smiled at the thought. "How does Alice feel about him?" I asked.

"I don't know," Rosalie sighed. "She has trust issues with guys. She had to deal with her dad just picking up and leaving her mom and her with very little money. That was before they moved here."

"Right," I mused as I flicked the cigarette out of the open window.

"Speaking of the devil, where the fuck are Alice and Angela?" Rosalie said as she pulled her phone out of her bag. "Those bitches are taking too long."

Rosalie typed into her iPhone before sending out a text.

I walked over to my litter stereo and put on a mix cd of classic rock bands when Rosalie's phone buzzed.

"What did she say?" I asked, glancing up at her.

Rosalie was frowning as she read her text.

"It's Edward," she said.

"Oh," I muttered before turning back to stereo.

Rosalie typed in a text before turning to me.

"Ok, so Edward and I have been running around trying to figure out a surprise party for Emmett because his birthday is this weekend," she began. "Edward has been talking to his friends and it turns out that the only place available to throw the part is at Mike's, but his house is really small." Rosalie shrugged. "I guess we don't really have another choice."

I pulled off my blazer and boots before sitting cross-legged on my bed beside Rosalie. I watched as she continued her conversation with Edward through text.

"Oh," she said suddenly. "Ang and Alice aren't coming anymore. Eric called and he's with Jasper. The girls are gonna go to dinner with them instead." Rosalie made a sour face. "Those bitches," she mumbled to herself.

I laughed and pulled out another cigarette.

"Hey," she said, turning away from her phone to look at me. "Do you mind if Edward comes over for a bit? We really need to talk about the party and it's annoying to text out a fucking conversation."

"Um… sure," I said. My tummy suddenly fluttered with nerves.

"Its cool if he can't," she said, eyeing my expression.

"No, its fine," I said. "Charlie wont be home until later anyway."

I glanced at the clock; we had at least three hours.

Rosalie text something to Edward and within the next ten minutes he was pulling up to the curb in front of my house. I got up from my bed and walked swiftly down the stairs to let him in.

"Hey," he said as he walked through the threshold.

"Hi," I smiled up at him.

We looked at each other for a minute before I cleared my throat and turned towards the stairs. I blushed when I realized I didn't have to remind him where my room was.

Edward entered my room and immediately pulled his sweatshirt over his head. He was still wearing his tan pants and he had a white t-shirt on which fit snug against his chest.

"Hey, Rose," he said as he ruffled her hair with his large hand.

"Ow!" Rosalie groaned as she pushed him away from her before handing me my cigarette.

"We can smoke in here?" Edward asked as he pat down his front pockets.

"Sure, just try to blow the smoke out of the window," I said as I took my perch on the windowsill.

Edward leaned against the window frame in front of me as he lit his cigarette.

"Alright," he began. Edward ran his hand through his thick hair before turning towards Rosalie. "So, Mike said we can definitely do it at his place. My parents have a pretty decent canopy that they said we could use, so I'll put it up in his back yard and we can set up the music out there. My mom is also letting me use her Christmas lights, and we can drape that shit around the canopy and trees outside. It'll be fine."

Edward ran his hand through his hair again before glancing at me. He looked a little stressed out.

"When is it?" I asked.

"Saturday," he said and he took another long drag from his cigarette. "Bella," he said, searching my face. "Do you think I could borrow your truck tomorrow? I don't really have a way to transport the canopy. I could ask Tyler if I could use his van, but I don't think it'll fit."

"Sure," I said without hesitation.

"Cool. Thanks," he said, giving me his shy smile.

"Too bad this is all so last minute," Rosalie said as she studied her fingernails. "How the hell are we supposed to invite everyone?"

"We live in Forks," Edward said in a condescending tone. "Everyone is going to be fucking free this weekend. Trust me."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, but I didn't miss the small smile on her lips.

We spent the next hour sitting in a circle on the floor talking about who they were going to invite and what they should do about alcohol. Rosalie suggested it being a B.Y.O.B. party, but Edward disagreed saying it was likely that people would have trouble buying alcohol because their were very few liquor stores in town.

"Well then, how the hell are we going to get all that alcohol?" Rosalie argued.

"I know a guy in La Push who can hook us up," Edward said. "I just need to come up with the cash."

I suggested they send out a text to their friends and tell them to bring money to school tomorrow if they want alcohol. That way, Edward can have enough money before he meets up with his friend in La Push to get the booze. Edward and Rosalie agreed and began typing away on their iPhones. I sat quietly waiting for them to finish.

"Alright," Rosalie continued once she placed her phone down. "We have the booze covered, and the place, the canopy, the lighting, the music. What about the food?"

"Fuck food," Edward shrugged as he typed away.

"What do you mean?" Rosalie argued. "What's a party without any food?"

"Rosalie," Edward argued back. "I'm not going to buy a shit load of food for a bunch of football players. Do you have any idea how much those guys can eat?" He shook his and glanced at me as if I was the only sane person in the room.

I smiled at the expression on his face.

"Should I meet you here after school?" Edward asked me.

"Sure," I said, as I dropped my gaze down to where I was fiddling with the hem of my skirt.

"Bella," Rosalie said. She was holding her tummy. "Do you have any snacks or anything?"

"I have some leftover pasta," I said. "Fettuccini Alfredo… from scratch."

I looked over at Edward and held my chin high with confidence.

"Wow," he said. "I'll take some too."

I laughed and got up. Edward and Rosalie followed me downstairs into the kitchen where they stood around, letting me busy myself with heating up the pasta and sauce. I served all three of us big portions and even sliced up a French roll for dipping.

"Mmm…" Rosalie and Edward moaned as they took their first bite.

I smiled at them while I twisted my fork into the thick creamy noodles.

We ate quickly and then Edward thanked me before saying he was going to head out. He offered to give Rosalie a ride home, so I walked them out and said goodnight. Rosalie pulled a small travel size bottle of Febreze from her bag and told me to go spray my room before Charlie gets home, which I did the moment Edward pulled away from the curb and sped down the street.

They had been gone for only five minutes before Charlie came home. I already had a plate of steaming pasta and a few slices of bread ready for him.

The next day went by fairly quickly. Edward sat beside me during lunch and whispered quietly into my ear, filling me in on his plans for after school. I listened carefully as I slowly munched on my bagel. He wanted me to go with him to La Push to pick up the alcohol before heading over to his place to get the canopy. I agreed, eager to spend an evening alone with him.

"Did you get the money?" I asked in a low voice.

He nodded and told me that he had been collecting cash all day, in the school hallways, in class, in the bathroom. Apparently everyone was doing a great job at keeping the party a secret from Emmett.

After the bell rang, while Edward, Mike and I made our way to Biology together, I watched as Mike tried to give Edward a twenty-dollar bill to pitch in for alcohol.

Edward shook his head and pushed the money back towards Mike. "You're letting us use your house for the party. I'll cover you."

"No, man," Mike said, trying to force the bill into Edward's hand.

Edward crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged away from Mike's outstretched hand.

"Ed, Emmett's my friend too. Take the money," Mike urged as he tried to shove it into Edward's pocket.

Edward did a quick juke with his legs as he twisted out of reach and bounded onto my other side. I laughed at how quick and poised he was. He smiled smugly down at me.

"Alright, alright," I said turning towards Mike. "I'll take the cash. I'm poor anyway."

Mike laughed and handed me the money, which I took with a wide smile.

When school was finally over, I met Edward in the parking lot. He told me he was going to drop Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie off at home and then he would meet me at my place after. I agreed and headed for my truck.

At home I waited for Edward in the living room, tugging my skirt down as I fidgeted in anticipation. At a little after 3:30 my phone rang.

It was Edward.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hey, I'm on my way. I'll be there in like… two minutes."

"Ok," I said. "See you soon."

I hung up and grabbed my wallet, phone and keys before stepping out into the cold air. Just as I locked the deadbolt behind me I heard Edward's car approach. He parked a few house down, just as he had the night we made out in my bedroom. I blushed furiously as I watched him make his way over to me. He was wearing his black zip-up hoodie and his black beanie. I watched the way his shoulders swayed from side to side as he walked towards me.

"Can I drive?" he asked as he gave me his crooked smile.

"Um, ok," I said, handing my keys over to him.

We climbed into the cab of the truck. It was really cold in there. Edward turned the key in the ignition and the truck roared to life before he backed smoothly out of the driveway and headed towards La Push. I adjusted the heater and the vents and soon it grew nice and warm in the large cab. I pulled off my blazer, fluffed out my hair and ran my hands over my bare thighs. I wore the knee-high socks today. My eyes flickered to Edward and I blushed when I caught him watching me. He smirked before looking away. His smile sent a shiver through my body, and I rubbed my knees together involuntarily.

The drive took a little while because my truck would groan loudly when Edward would try to push it over fifty miles per hour. Edward commented on that fact and said that the truck would be much more awesome to drive if it had a newer engine and transmission. I sighed and told him that I didn't care much about cars. He talked a little about the different parts of the truck and why I had to pay attention to the minor details. I argued back saying I didn't understand a damn thing he was saying because I don't speak _Car and Driver_. He laughed at me.

"Who are we meeting up with exactly?" I asked as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Sam Uley," he said. "He's a guy who works on my dad's cars. We've known him for… forever."

"And he's going to buy you the alcohol?"

Edward nodded.

My eyes flickered over his body and I watched the muscle in his right leg flex as he pressed on the gas pedal. His eyes flickered to me and I blushed before looking away. We were quite for the rest of the ride until he pulled up to an old brown house. Edward cut the engine before pulling out his phone and putting it to his ear.

"I'm outside," he said and then he hung up.

Edward pulled his wallet out of his back pocket just as I dug through my wallet to pull out the twenty-dollar bill.

"Here," I said as I tried to hand him the cash.

Edward's eyes flickered from the bill in my hand to my face.

"No, I got it," he said as he pulled the door open and climbed out.

"Edward," I called. "Take the money. Its fine if you don't want to pay for Mike, but this is my part of pitching in for the party."

Edward studied my face for a moment before smirking at me and shaking his head.

"Stay here," he said as he walked over to the man who was now standing on the front porch.

I watched as they shook hands and spoke to each other. Edward gestured his head towards my truck and I saw Sam peer at me through the front windshield. I blushed and dropped my gaze. After a moment, Sam and Edward walked over to the passenger side of the truck. I cranked down the window and smiled at them.

"Bella, this is Sam Uley," Edward said.

"Bella Swan," I said as I poked my hand out to shake Sam's.

"Nice to meet you," he said. "You're very pretty." Sam's eyes flickered to Edward.

I blushed and looked away.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Edward gave Sam the cash and then said he would to pass by tomorrow to pick up the alcohol. Sam agreed and called out a quick goodbye to me before he walked back towards his house.

Edward climbed back into the cab and started the truck before turning around and heading back towards Forks. When we got to Edward's house, he pulled up as close to his garage as possible before climbing out of the truck.

"You coming?" he asked before he shut the door.

I climbed out and followed him towards the front porch of his house. I shivered slightly from both the cold and the fact that I was standing on his front steps. Edward unhooked his keys from his belt and unlocked the door before standing aside to let me in. I stepped into the foyer and looked around. His house was big and white and clean and elegant and _beautiful_.

"Wow," I said in a low voice.

"Yeah," Edward said under his breath. I didn't miss the small frown that appeared between his eyebrows. "The garage door is over here."

I followed him over to a door beside the staircase that led to an upper level.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as I gazed at the living room over my shoulder.

"My parents took Emmett out to buy him a birthday present," he said as he stepped into the dark garage.

He flicked a light on and moved over towards a back wall. I glanced around. The garage was very big and very clean and the ceiling lights were a nice white glow. There were a lot of different types of sports gear stacked neatly away, and there was a small setup of exercise equipment. I let my fingers graze against the large bar on the bench press while my eyes roamed over a vehicle sitting in the corner with a light beige cover.

I turned and watched as Edward shifted a few bins.

"Damn," he said under his breath before he pulled out a little guitar. As I took a closer look I realized it was a ukulele.

He turned to face me with a small smile on his lips, which I returned.

He brought the ukulele to his chest and plucked a few chords with his fingertips before adjusting the nobs to tune it properly. And then he began strumming a series of chords in a smooth sweet tempo.

I listened and knew immediately what it was.

"Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, tomorrow I'll miss you, remember I'll always be true…" Edward sang in a low, deep, goofy voice. "…And then while I'm away I'll write home every day and I'll send all my lovin' to you…" he chuckled, throwing in a few quick, rough strums before smacking his hand over the strings to silence them.

"Wow," I mused with a wide smile across my face. "The Beatles."

"Yup," he said. He avoided my gaze as he placed the ukulele down on a nearby chair. "That was the first song I learned."

I stood quietly as I watched him pull out the large blue canopy that sat folded in its case.

"Do you need help?" I asked.

Edward glanced at me over his shoulder.

"Can you open the garage door?" he asked. "There's a button by the light switch."

I walked quickly over to the light switch and pushed the button. Edward didn't let me help him carry the canopy out to the truck, so I just stood back and watched as he placed it over his shoulder and then gently slid it into the truck bed with ease.

_He's so strong,_ I thought as I watched him adjust it so that it laid flat.

Edward strode quickly over to me with a small smirk on his lips.

"Let's go," he said as he reached for the ukulele and a box of Christmas lights before punching the button to close the garage.

Back in the truck, as we drove to Mike's house, I couldn't help but rub my fingertips gingerly over the ukulele strings and the soft red wood of the body. It was a little dusty, but still beautiful.

"You play really well," I said in a low voice.

Edward glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Thanks," he said. "Can you play?"

"No," I muttered, shaking my head. "I wish."

"I could teach you sometime," he said. His eyes were back on the road.

"Really?" I asked. I searched his face.

"Sure," he said. "The Uke is pretty easy to learn. And you have small hands. It would be easier for you to learn than a guitar."

I blushed hot and turned away as images of my hand on Edward's naked penis fluttered in my mind. I nervously flipped my hair over my shoulder to hide my red face.

"What do you like to do on your spare time, Bella?" he asked in a low voice.

"I read," I said, turning to glance at him.

Edward smiled. "What kinds of books to do you like to read?"

I thought for a moment.

"Wuthering Heights is one of my favorites…" I mumbled as I thought through the small collection in my room.

"You like Jane Austen novels?"

"Sure," I said.

Edward raised an eyebrow at me.

"Wuthering Heights isn't very good," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"The characters are so…" he shook his head, searching for the right word.

"They're complicated and misunderstood," I defended.

Edward shrugged, his eyes back on the road.

"Honestly, though," he said again. "Why do you like it?"

"I think it's because of the inevitability," I said, running my finger along the ukulele again. "How nothing can keep them apart. Not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death."

I looked up at him, surprised to see him watching me. He nodded and looked away, silently agreeing with me.

When we got to Mike's house, I watched as the two boys pulled the canopy out of the truck bed before spending a half hour setting it up in his back yard. They didn't let me help, so I sat waiting patiently in a white lawn chair on the back porch. It was already dark and I shivered in the cold night air. I still wasn't wearing my blazer. By 8 o'clock the boys were finally finished.

"Call Rose and tell her to get her ass down here," Mike said as Edward began unwinding the lights.

"I can help too, you know," I said as I got up from my seat.

Edward gave me his crooked smile before gesturing me to come over to him.

Soon after Edward, Mike and I wrapped the canopy in white Christmas lights, Rosalie and Alice showed up. We all joked around and smoked some cigarettes while busting our asses to make the backyard look clean and descent enough for a large group of guests. I was sweating by the end of the night and eager to go home to take a shower.

Edward and I called a quick goodbye as we made our way towards my truck. Without thinking, Edward climbed into the drivers seat while I took the passenger side.

We drove back to Charlie's house, laughing about how lame Mike's yard looked, but I tried my best to convince Edward that the party would run smoothly nonetheless.

As we pulled up to my house, Edward parked my truck in the driveway. Charlie's cruiser was already in place in front of the house. I turned to look at Edward. He smiled at me as he handed me my keys.

"Thanks for the truck," he said in a low voice.

"Sure," I said with a small smile on my lips.

Edward gazed at me for a moment longer, his eyes gliding over my face. I watched as his expression slowly changed from calm and collected to eager and ravenous. I gulped as my heart rate picked up in anticipation.

I moved first. I slowly leaned into him and a millisecond later, Edward's lips crushed against mine. Our kisses were quick and heated as we sucked on each other lips with a hunger that ran deep into our guts. I moaned as he fisted his hand into my hair and I returned the favor by gripping his shoulders and pulling him towards me. I don't know how long we stayed like that, sucking each other's tongues and feeling each other up. But eventually we broke apart with a loud wet smacking sound.

"Charlie might see," I gasped as Edward held me close to his face.

Edward nodded, his eyes on my mouth.

I heard him swallow hard before he leaned in and pressed a few more tender kisses to my lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said in a hoarse voice.

I smiled at him and met his gaze.

"Go inside," he said.

I nodded and quickly leaned in to suck his upper lip into my mouth one more time before turning away and pushing myself out of the passenger door. I ran straight up the front steps and threw the front door open. Charlie was in the living room watching a game.

"Bells?" he called.

"Hey dad," I said as I leaned against the front door, trying to catch my breath.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Go ahead and look up All My Loving by the Beatles on youtube. It's such a good song. My boyfriend plays it to me on the guitar all the time. :)**

**I'm gonna wait a few days before I post the next chapter.**

**I want to thank all of my reviewers, lurkers, and those who have favorite'd and followed my story. :D I'm glad to see I have a group of followers, and I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying yourselves even if you wont post a review.**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11: Emmett's Party

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Emmett's Party**

"I don't know what to tell Charlie," I mumbled to Alice over the phone.

It was already 5 o'clock and Edward and Rosalie told us specifically to be there no later than 8. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to say to Charlie about tonight. I didn't want to tell him that I would be going to a party because I didn't want to risk ratting out my friends. At the same time, I didn't want to lie to him because I was a horrible liar and I knew he would see right through me.

"Ask him if you could sleep over at my place," Alice suggested. "You wouldn't be lying because you really can sleep over at my place."

"Alright," I sighed. "I'll call you back and let you know what happens."

We hung up and then I walked down stairs to meet Charlie in the living room. He was sitting on the couch watching a game with his second serving of baked chicken and mashed potatoes that I had prepared for dinner that day. I walked over and sat beside him on the small couch.

"Hey kid," he said as he took a gulp from his beer.

"Alice invited me over to spend the night at her place," I said.

"Yes!" Charlie roared as someone hit a home run. He was watching a baseball game.

"Dad," I called.

"Yeah?" His eyes were still on the flat screen.

"Alice invited me to sleep over at her place tonight. Is that ok?" I tried unsuccessfully to keep the annoyance out of my tone.

Charlie must have heard it because he glanced quickly at me from the corner of his eye. I saw his mouth twitch.

"Sure," he said. "You got your pepper spray?" He pretended to spray my face with an invisible can.

"Yes sir," I said with a chuckle. And then I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks.

Upstairs, I called Alice and asked if I could meet her at her place in an hour. She agreed and so I hung up and ran to the bathroom to get ready. I did my hair in soft waves down my back, added some hairspray and then rubbed a thin line of eyeliner over my eyes before adding my mascara. I decided on wearing a pair of black washed skinny jeans and a thin white tank top with a pattern of little cherries scattered over it. The tank had a few buttons over the breast and was a little short, showing a few inches of my stomach. I threw this together with a thin fitted leather jacket I had brought from Arizona and my black-laced Vans. I looked myself over a few times in the mirror as I ran my hands through my hair. I looked alright.

I grabbed my backpack and dumped out my schoolbooks before packing a couple of t-shirts, a pair of shorts to sleep in, and a small hoodie. I then made sure to grab my phone, my wallet, my keys and some makeup, just in case.

"I'll call you later," I yelled to my father as I pulled the front door open.

He called out a faint goodbye before I shut the door behind me and walked over to my truck.

Back at Alice's house, I sat patiently on her large purple beanbag chair while I watched her get ready. Alice was wearing a thick pair of pantyhose, a short black dress and a small fitted jean jacket with a red bow in her hair. She looked cute. I watched as she applied her makeup. She was jazzing up her usual thick eyeliner with a bit of blue to create an exotic smoky eye.

"I love your outfit, by the way," she said as she applied her mascara.

"Thanks," I said as I glanced down at myself.

"You have this whole, skater chick slash greaser girl thing going on lately. It really works on you. All you need is some red lipstick and a pompadour."

I giggled at her as I took a drag from the cigarette between my fingers.

"Seriously," she said. "Let me put some lipstick on you."

"I don't like wearing lipstick," I said. "It feels gross."

Alice frowned as she dug through her purse.

"What about some lip stain?"

I shrugged.

"Put this on," she said as she tossed me thin tub.

One end hand a brush while the other a dark red watery substance. I applied the lip stain without a mirror.

"How do I look?" I asked.

"Perfect," she said with a wide smile.

I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"So, when is your mom coming home? Isn't she going to sell the cigarette smoke in your room?" I asked as I watched Alice pack her purse with makeup.

"No, she's working overtime at Barney's."

"Barney's?"

"Yeah, it's a bar in Port Angeles," Alice said. "She bartends there on weekends."

"Oh. That's cool," I said. "I bet she makes some pretty awesome tips."

Alice laughed as she reached for her phone to call Angela.

Angela showed up at Alice's at around 7. Alice and I climbed in fairly quickly before we made our way over to Mikes house. Mike's place was very quiet as we made our way into the backyard. However, once we turned the corner after entering the low gate, we heard a buzzing of voices and saw that almost everyone was there, quietly whispering amongst themselves. We made our way over to Rosalie who stood with Jasper, Tyler, Mike, Eric, Lauren, Jessica, Kate and a bunch of other people I still didn't know.

"Hey," Rosalie said as I approached her.

She threw her arm around my shoulder to hug me to her.

"Where's Edward?" I asked her.

"He's with Emmett. He and his parents took Em to dinner for his birthday."

"Oh, cool," I said.

Rosalie rolled her eyes as if to say, 'whatever.'

I laughed at her.

"Hey," Mike said as he came up behind me. He gave me a quick onearmed hug and handed me a beer.

"Thanks," I said. "The place looks great." I gestured around to the canopy and table settings.

"Thanks to you guys," Mike whispered. "I didn't really help much."

I popped open a beer and made myself comfortable as we stood to wait in silence. I glanced around the canopy. All of the Christmas lights were off, but I soon found out that Mike was supposed to flip a switch as soon as Emmett entered the back yard. Over by a canopy of trees stood a guy I hadn't met yet with a large stereo system and on the other side of the backyard was couple of kegs and a table filled with beer and various bottle of alcohol. I could already tell this was going to be a crazy night.

At last, at around 8:10, Rosalie finally called out to get everyone's attention.

"Edward and Emmett are on their way!" she yelled. "So shut the fuck up and hold your fucking breath. You know the rule, people. Don't say a God damn word until Emmett is in full view. Mike, that will be your cue. As soon as the lights are on, we all yell 'surprise' _together_. Got it?"

Everyone let out chuckle and a murmur of understanding before Rosalie stepped back into the crowed and took her place beside me. I smiled up at her. She was so fucking cool sometimes.

We all stood silently in the dark until we heard the tires of a car approach. I listened as the ignition shut off and then the quiet smacks of car doors being shut. There was a sound of gravel being turned under heavy feet as the two boys approached.

"Where's Mike?" I heard Emmett ask.

"He said he was in his back yard," Edward answered.

I heard the click and groan of metal on metal as the boys let themselves through the old fence and then I saw Emmett round the corner. We were all deathly silent and I was momentarily very proud of the group of people standing around me.

There was a low click and then the lights covering the canopy, the trees and the strobe light buzzed to life, milliseconds before everyone jumped screaming, "SURPRISE!"

The expression on Emmett's face was priceless.

Edward smiled broadly as he gripped his brother's shoulders in his hands and shook him. Emmett was completely stunned as he gazed around at all of us and at the many twinkling lights around him. A large Happy Birthday sign hung bellow the canopy right above our heads. I was happy that I had helped put the whole thing together, and I was even more proud of Edward and Rosalie for creating such an awesome surprise party.

Rose was the first to approach Emmett. She ran at him, surprisingly steady in her high heels and threw her arms around his neck with a wide smile across her face.

"Happy Birthday!" she screeched seconds before slapping a loud kiss on his lips.

I giggled at them and walked over to give Emmett a hug.

The start of the party went smoothly. Everyone was immediately lining up to take shots with Emmett. At one point, Alice dragged me over to him, because apparently it was my turn next. Edward was standing by the table watching Emmett take shot after shot and when I approached his eyes fell on me for the first time that night.

"Hey you," I said as I met his gaze.

Edward's eyes flickered over my small tank top and bare midriff.

"You look nice," he said in a low voice.

I blushed and turned to Emmett.

"I guess it's my turn," I said to him as I held up an overflowing shot of tequila.

Three shots and two beers later, I was pretty damn tipsy. I hung out closely beside Alice, Angela and Rosalie most of the time. I was pretty bored as I stood beside the busy keg, silently sipping my beer as I listened to Lauren and Jessica gossip about some girl Tanya and how she was making Lauren's life a living hell. I wasn't paying too much attention.

My eyes often flickered across the busy back yard, searching for Edward. I found him a few times, talking with different groups of guys. He was staying close beside Emmett. I could tell he was monitoring his alcohol consumption. Emmett was being a little out of control, shooting back shots at any time while trying to wrestle with his drunk friends. I giggled to myself as I watching Edward pull Emmett up from off of the ground when he tripped over some guys legs.

"Oh my God!" Jessica suddenly squeaked. "Mike is heading this way."

I glanced at Jessica and was surprised by how nervous she suddenly was. This girl obviously had a serious crush.

"Hey ladies," Mike said as he threw an arm around Alice and I.

I watched as Jessica's eyes clouded over with lust as checked Mike up and down.

Tyler approached seconds later and I was happy with the new form of entertainment they gave us. Mike was kind of drunk and was being pretty funny; he was making jokes and being a little flirty with Jessica, which caused her to practically faint. It was fun to watch.

At one point, Tyler asked if I wanted to go smoke with him. I turned him down.

"Alright, but you're missing out," Tyler sighed. "Riley brought some good shit and he's smoking it with Edward right now."

"Oh!" I said suddenly. "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind just a few hits."

Tyler chuckled at me and I blushed, hoping he didn't really notice how excited I had become after hearing that Edward would be there.

Tyler brought me over to where Edward was standing beside a couple of guys beneath one of the large trees in Mike's backyard. One of the guys was tall and handsome with blond hair and brown eyes; the other was a little shorter with sandy hair and blue eyes. They were standing in a huddle, talking and laughing with beers in their hands. All three of them watched as Tyler and I approached. My eyes immediately made contact with Edward's and he smirked at me.

"Who's this?" the tall blond asked.

"Bella, this is Riley," the tall blond, "and Austin," she short sandy hair boy.

Austin was in the middle of packing a thick brown joint with weed. I offered a small wave to my new acquaintances.

"Who wants a hit of this purple ganja?" Austin asked with a low growl.

I laughed at him.

Austin took the first hit before he passed it to Tyler, who passed it to me, who passed it to Edward and so on. After our second round, I decided to skip out on the third and fourth. I was already feeling drunk and the strong weed was adding to my lack of self-control. The moment I burst out laughing at nothing in particular, I knew that I was already sky high and couldn't continue smoking with those troopers.

Edward chuckled at me as I stood bent over, clutching my ribs in hysterics.

Apparently Riley thought I was pretty funny too.

"Damn she's high," I heard him say in low voice before he burst out into a fit of deep laughter.

Without much thought, I reached out, grabbed a fist of Edward's leather jacket and pulled him away from his friends so that I could speak privately to him.

He looked a little surprised but allowed me to tow him away before I turned to reach up towards him on my tippy toes.

"I'm really fucking high right now," I mumbled close to his face. "Please don't let me do anything stupid."

Edward smirked down at me before draping his heavy arm over my shoulder.

"Lets go dance," he whispered against my cheek. His voice was a low purr in my ear.

I shivered involuntarily and shook my head.

"You know I can't dance," I said.

"That's not true," he whispered against my skin. "You danced with me last week."

I looked up at him as a warm blush crept over my face.

Edward's lips twisted into that glorious crooked smile as he rubbed a finger over my hot cheek. He smelled like cinnamon and leather and weed and beer and it was divine. Gazing into his eyes and drinking in his delicious scent I wanted nothing more than to kiss him right then.

A soft chuckle escaped his perfect pouty lips as he leaned in to brush his nose quickly against mine. My heart fluttered dramatically from the sensation and I almost collapsed on the spot.

"Stop," I said in a shaky, breathless voice as I turned my face away.

"Stop what?" he asked.

I glanced back at him and a saw a hint of a frown on his perfect eyebrows.

"You're dazzling me," I mumbled.

Edward's eyebrows rose in surprise before his lips spread into a toothy grin. I should have turned away, but instead I made the mistake of taking a deep breath. His scent filled my nostrils and practically burned its way down my throat. The hunger I felt in the pit of my stomach was unbearable. I wanted him so bad. Without thinking, I stood up on my tippy toes and nipped his chin with my teeth.

Edward's mouth fell open in a surprised smile as he gazed down at me. It took me a minute to realize what I had just done.

"Sorry," I gasped as I turned fifty shades of red.

I tried to turn away, but Edward held my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. It was only then that I noticed how tight my body was against him. The loose arm he had previously thrown over my shoulder was now a tight grip around me, holding me securely to his side.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked in a low voice.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered.

Edward chuckled softly at me before releasing my face and body before gripping my hand and pulling me towards the group of dancing people beneath the canopy. Edward made his way through the crowed until he found a clear spot. Then he turned and started moving to the beat. I couldn't even comprehend what the heck was going on, let alone trust my feet to know what to do. I stood still as a statue as Edward swayed and bobbed in front of me. He was watching my face, scrutinizing my expression as I glanced around at the many moving bodies surrounding me.

"Hey," he called to me over the loud rap music.

My eyes met his. He was crouched down, standing at my eye level.

"Just go with it," he said. His face was only inches from mine.

I blinked rapidly before shaking my head and looking away. I couldn't do this.

I heard Edward chuckle as he reached for my hands and threw them around his neck. Much like he had done the last time, he pulled me into his arms and forced my body to move with him. I felt his hot breath against my ear as his lips grazed my skin. I immediately melted in his embrace. My body moved with him as his hips pressed against mine in time with the beat. I tried not to think too much after that and did my best to just enjoy myself.

Sometimes Edward would pull away from me so that he could gaze into my eyes or run his hands firmly through my hair. Sometimes he would snake his hands up my sides beneath my jacket or along the exposed flesh of my lower back. The production of his hands on my body was sensual and exciting. Where he touched me, fire would ignite beneath my skin. My body was tingly and sensitive with the weed still in my system. I was barely aware of my own hands and the way I gripped his neck before letting my fingers slide over his shoulders or down his torso to wrap my arm around his waist and grip his shirt beneath his jacket. Edward was wearing only a simple navy blue V-neck t-shirt beneath his jacket. I even let my other hand slip beneath his shirt and glide over his ribcage. His body was hot and smooth and perfect.

I didn't know how long we were dancing but soon I began to feel out of breath. Edward's hand ran gingerly over my temple and through my hair, and I felt the moisture from my face collect on his warm palm.

"Do you need a drink?" he asked me as he gazed down into my eyes.

I nodded as my hand reached up and brushed the dewy substance that collected bellow his left eye. Something unreadable flickered across his face before he gave me a small smile and released my waist. With my hand in his, he pulled me away from group of dancing bodies and led me over to the keg. Alice was still standing there but now she was with Lauren and Kate.

"Hello stranger," Alice said as Edward and I approached.

Edward let go of my hand and moved towards the keg where a couple of guys stood around, taking their turns to pump the nozzle

"Hi," I said with a smile.

My eyes flickered to Lauren, who gave me a disapproving look. I frowned at her and turned my attention back to Alice.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked.

Alice gestured behind her with her thumb. I glanced over at the back of the house. Through a lit up window I could see a kitchen and a group of people sitting around a small table. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Riley and Austin were playing a game of cards.

"Why aren't you with him?" I asked as I gazed back at her.

She shrugged.

I studied her face; her expression was unreadable.

"Is everything ok?" I whispered into her ear.

"I guess," she whispered back as she turned to look over her shoulder at Jasper.

He was laughing loud and looked to be totally enjoying himself.

"Go sit with him," I said. "Go get his attention, Alice."

She looked back at me, her eyes traveling over my face as she thought.

"Come with me," she said in a low voice.

I smiled at her and nodded.

"One second," I said as I turned towards Edward. He was in the process of pumping the pressurizer on the keg.

I giggled as I approached him and he turned to glance at me over his shoulder, a small smirk on his lips.

"Do you wanna try?" he asked as he stood up and grabbed a red cup off of a stack on a nearby table.

"No thanks, I think you've got this under control," I giggled again.

Edward smiled before turning his attention to the nozzle on the tap.

"I'll be over there with Rose and Jasper and Emmett," I said to him.

He glanced up at me before turning towards the house. I watched as his eyes flickered around for a moment until he found them. He gave me a small smirk and a nod before turning his attention back to the beer keg.

I turned away from him, grabbed Alice's hand and lead her towards the back porch.

"What are you guys up to?" I asked as we walked into the small kitchen.

Jasper's eyes shifted from me to Alice who stood slightly behind me.

"Hey Al," he said in a low voice.

I frowned at the sadness in his tone and turned to glance at Rosalie. She stood up and walked passed me just as she discretely whispered 'lovers quarrel' into my ear. I smiled and turned my attention back towards Jasper.

"Can we play?" I asked.

He nodded and I deliberately took the seat furthest from him so that Alice had no choice but to sit beside him.

"What are we playing?" I asked as I rubbed my hands together.

Emmett laughed at me and asked if I was stoned. I told him I was as I continued to rub my hands together with a wide smile across my face. It turns out they were playing poker… for keeps. I sighed and dug out a couple of dollars from my back pocket.

"But I don't even really know how to play," I said.

"We'll teach you," Emmett offered as he shuffled the cards.

I sighed. I really needed my beer for this shit.

I turned to look for Edward over my shoulder. I saw that he was standing by the keg with two red cups in his hands. But he wasn't alone. Lauren was standing in front of him, her hand rubbing over his chest as she smiled sweetly up at him. I couldn't make out what she was saying, obviously, but that didn't matter.

"Hold on," I said to Emmett as I stood up and walked out of the house.

Edward saw me approach before Lauren did. He looked a little apprehensive, but I just smiled at him as if I hadn't noticed anything.

"Are one of those for me?" I asked as I pointed to the red cups in his hands.

"Yeah," he said as he handed one to me.

I took a sip and glanced over at Lauren.

"Hey," I said, my eyes back on Edward. "Emmett and Jasper are about to teach me how to play poker. Do you want to play?"

I tried to keep my face as smooth as possible. After all, I wasn't mad at him or anything. He was a free agent; he could do whatever he wanted. It was Lauren who bugged me. She had the audacity to throw me dirty looks when she didn't even fucking know me. I didn't feel guilty about trying to steal Edward's attention back.

I sighed, secretly kicking myself for being jealous about this. Its not like I had the right to be.

"Sure," Edward said before turning his attention back to Lauren. "See you later, Lauren. Have a good night."

He smiled a toothy grin and he gave her a playful nudge on the arm.

She gave him a sad smile in return before he turned away from her and followed me back into the house.

Edward and I took a couple of seats next to each other at the small round table. During the first couple of games, Edward sat very close to me trying to teach me how to play. I would laugh and suggest some options. I soon found out that I wasn't the wisest player, nor did I have a good poker face. A few times I would squeal happily when Edward would whisper his hand in my ear. And then he would fake exasperation when I would accidently give his hand away.

"I'm sorry!" I whined. "You can't let me see your cards anymore. I'm drunk and I have no filter right now."

"No filter, huh?" Rosalie said.

"I've got an idea," Emmett said. "Let's make this game a little more interesting…"

"Here we go," Jasper said in a low voice before he placed his cards face down on the table and tied his fingers behind his head. He looked like he was getting ready for a show.

"How?" I asked.

"Strip Black Jack!" Emmett called out with his arms raised.

"What the hell is that?" Riley asked.

"Its like regular Black Jack," Emmett explained in a slur. "Only, if you get the lowest hand or if you draw too many cards you have to remove an article of clothing and place it on the table."

"Hell no!" I exclaimed. "I would be naked before your shirt hit the floor."

I looked around as all eyes landed on me. And then I burst out into a fit of giggles.

"Its true!" I defended.

"You can be on my team," Edward said as he threw his heavy arm around me.

I laughed and blushed tomato red as I tried to hide my face behind my hair.

"Na-uh!" Alice said. "If I have to play alone, then Bella has to play alone."

"But I don't really know how to play these card games!" I argued.

"Then Edward can help you, but you have to have your own hand," Austin said.

I sighed and agree as Edward withdrew his arm from around my shoulder.

We started a new game and of course, after the first few minutes I had drawn too many cards and was removing my jacket and placing it at the center of the table.

"See? What did I say?" I whined, looking at Alice.

She just laughed and yelled, "Hit me!"

As the game went, Edward tried his best to help me and luckily I didn't have to remove any more clothes… yet. Rosalie had to remove her jacket next, followed by Jasper's hoodie and then Riley's t-shirt.

I glanced over at Edward's hand. His cards added up to 19, but they barely held my attention as my eyes flickered over the way his shirt clung to his perfectly toned chest.

"Maybe you should loose so that you can get rid of that jacket," I whispered to Edward under my breath.

His eyes met mine. He gazed at me for a moment before his lips twisted into his glorious crooked smile.

"Hit me," he called out when Emmett was about to turn away.

"Feeling lucky, Eddie?" Emmett called as he threw down a card It was Jack.

I watched as Edward shrugged out of this jacket and placed it on the pile. My eyes roamed over his bare arms. The dark blue from his t-shirt looked amazing against his skin. A slight tingling ran up my inner thighs as I gazed down at his body. I had to rub my knees together and bite down on my lip to stop myself from moaning out loud.

As the game went on, soon all of the boys were shirtless, except for Edward because of course he was winning. Alice had taken off her pantyhose and I took off my shoes. Rosalie had lost the most recent game so she had to remove her shirt and just as her hands gripped the hem of her glittery top, Emmett stopped her.

"Alright, alright," he groaned. "I don't want the girls to have to strip down into their panties in front of a bunch of horny assholes."

Austin and Riley faked a groan of disapproval and we all laughed. I was secretly very happy about this because I didn't want to strip in front of a bunch of drunk people. I watched as Edward pulled his jacket back on and was instantly sad to see his perfect body disappear beneath the thick fabric.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked as I glanced around the table.

"I'll show you," Edward said as he stood up and handed me my jacket.

I pulled my jacket on and followed him through the house to a small door. There was a line of people waiting. I groaned.

"There's another bathroom upstairs," he said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the small staircase.

We ascended the stairs in silence. It was dark so I had no choice but to grip Edward's hand and trust that he was leading me into the right room.

"It's dark," I whispered as we moved along the walls and made a right.

Edward chuckled at me just as I heard a door open. He flicked the light on. I blinked furiously and looked up at him. The light cast shadows beneath his chiseled features. I was momentarily dazzled by how glorious he looked. I reached up tentatively and ran my fingertip across his left cheekbone.

Edward gazed back at me, his eyes roaming over my face as he raised a hand to brush his fingers against my warm cheek. I wanted him to kiss me, but duty called.

"I have to pee," I whispered.

Edward let out a hearty laugh and took a step back, giving me some space. I laughed with him as I stepped into the bathroom. I peed quickly and washed up as I glanced over myself in the mirror. I cleaned up my eye makeup and ran my fingers through my crazy hair. It looked very choppy and wild from the dew outside and the hairspray, but still ok I guess.

I opened the door to Edward who was still waiting, leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom. He smirked at me as he pushed off of the wall to move towards me. I felt the fluttering in my tummy return.

"I want to kiss you," he whispered.

I stared up at him in surprise, momentarily stunned by his words. Edward stood still for a minute before he leaned down and slowly pressed his lips to mine. Our kisses were soft and sweet for a moment, but they soon turned loud and wet and sloppy as our tongues and lips raked forcefully against each other's. I felt a shudder run through me when Edward groaned and sucked my tongue into his mouth.

I was highly aware of his hands on my hips as he pushed me into the bathroom before shutting the door behind him. His hands roamed hungrily over my body, feeling me through my thin top and roaming over my tight jeans. I couldn't help but react the same way. I tugged his jacket off of his shoulders and yanked his shirt over his head. As soon as his smooth chest was exposed I dropped my lips to kiss a line down his neck, over his collarbone and then down the indentation between his firm pecks. I felt Edward shiver as my tongue darted out over his smooth skin.

His hands were on my jaw again, forcing my face up to meet his. I let him pull my shirt over my head before he ducked down to kiss his way over my chest. My ass was in his hands and he pulled me up to place me on the counter. I moaned loudly when his lips sucked the skin on my collarbone into his mouth. His mouth was hot and wet and eager and the sensation of his teeth against my skin shot bolts of pleasure right down to my clit. I wiggled beneath him involuntarily, seeking friction against my crotch. The grip Edward had on my hip loosened and his hand slid over to the front of my jeans where he palmed me through the thick fabric.

I gasped and jerked against him again.

"I want you," Edward moaned as he sucked the hallow beneath my ear.

I trembled in his arms as I let his words wash over me.

"I want you too," I whispered into the thick air.

Edward's hands immediately moved to the button of my jeans. He quickly undid my pants and began tugging them down my hips.

"Wait," I gasped. "Wait, wait."

I grabbed his wrists, trying to still his hands. He stopped and looked up at me with hungry eyes.

"What is it?" he asked as he leaned in to brush his wet lips against mine.

"Edward, I…" his tongue darted into my mouth, and I swallowed my words.

I kissed him back feverishly and soon he was pulling my jeans down over my thighs.

"Edward wait," I tried to say through his kisses. I placed my hands on his chest and gave a small push.

He moved back a few inches to search my eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his crooked smile tugging at his lips.

"I… um… I've never…" I blushed furiously as I gazed back at him. "I've never…"

But I was cut off from the low ring that came from my phone. My eyes darted around the small bathroom. Edward stared at me for a minute before he bent down to retrieved the phone in my jacket before handing it to me.

"It's Alice," I said. "Hello?"

"We're leaving," she said. I could hear the tears in her voice.

"Sweetie, what happened?" I asked in a low voice.

"Jasper is a fucking asshole," she cried into the phone. "I need to get out of here, Bella. I want to go home."

"Ok," I said. "I'm in the bathroom. I'll be down in a minute. Wait for me in front of Mike's house."

I hung up and looked at Edward.

"They're fighting again?" he asked in a low voice. He was already handing me my tank top.

I nodded and pulled my shirt on before hopping off of the sink to pull up my pants. We dressed quietly and I watched as Edward tried to discretely hide the bulge his pants as we left the bathroom.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled as descended the stairs.

"That's ok," he said in a hoarse voice.

I glanced up at him. His eyes were warm as he gazed down at me. He softly grabbed my chin in his hand and leaned down to kiss me. His kiss was sweet as he held his lips against mine for a few long moments. I held my breath, savoring the suppleness of his pout.

After we walked down stairs together Edward followed me as I rushed out of the house to find Rosalie standing with Alice beneath a tree in Mike's front yard. The rain had picked up and they stood shivering, Alice crying into Rosalie's bare shoulder.

"Maybe I should leave you alone with her," Edward whispered in my ear.

I turned to meet his gaze.

"Ok," I said. "I'll see you later, then?"

Edward gave me a smirk as he brushed his knuckles against my cheek. And then he turned and jogged around the house towards the back yard.

I walked over and ran my hand over Alice's back as she sobbed.

"What happened?" I asked Rosalie.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Just then a taxi pulled up. Alice turned to grab my hand before pulling me towards the cab.

"Are you coming?" I asked Rose.

"Na," she said. "I have a birthday present waiting for Emmett." She swished her hips suggestively.

I waved to her before I climbed into the back seat with Alice.

Back in Alice's bedroom, we both stripped into our underwear before pulling on some pajamas and climbing under her bed covers. Alice was still sad, but she wasn't crying anymore. We curled up, facing each other as I ran my hand through her soft hair.

"What happened?" I asked her. I tried to keep my voice low and soothing.

"He's an ass-sshole," she hiccupped as thick tears began to spill from her closed eyes.

"What did he do?"

"He was ignoring me all fucking n-night and when I tried to talk to him he didn't want to t-talk to me."

I rubbed her back, trying to help her continue.

"He's a d-dick, Bella."

"But why didn't he want to talk to you? Did you fight?"

She turned over onto her back and gazed at the ceiling. I watched as her lip began to quiver with emotion.

"He wants to be my boyfriend."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"I don't want a b-boyfriend right now. I have issues with my dad leaving me, and my m-mom suffering from it. Why can't he accept that?"

"Maybe he doesn't really understand."

Alice shook her head. "He doesn't want to understand. And he d-doesn't want to wait until I'm ready. He wants me now."

I nodded. I didn't know what to say.

"Alice, I can't really help you," I whispered. "I've never had a boyfriend. I don't much about relationships."

Alice's smile was sad and sweet as she turned to lay her head on my shoulder. I held her until she eventually fell asleep.

I was in a kind of limbo, between being awake and asleep when at around 3am I herd the low buzz from my phone. My eyes shot open and I glanced around Alice's dark room. My phone buzzed again. I carefully withdrew my arm from around Alice and made my way over to my leather jacket, which was draped over the purple beanbag chair.

I had two text messages from Edward.

_Are you awake?_ -Edward

_How's Alice?_ _U still with her?_ –Edward

_I'm awake,_ I wrote. _Alice is ok. She's asleep now. I'm staying at her place tonight._

_Jasper feels bad._ –Edward

_Their situation is complicated,_ I wrote.

_I want to see you._ –Edward

I blushed as I stared down at his text.

_Me too,_ I wrote.

_Can I come by?_ –Edward

_Alice is asleep,_ I wrote.

_We can hang out in my car._ –Edward

_Ok_, I wrote. _When?_

_Be there in 5._ –Edward

I grabbed my hoodie and my vans before I crept quickly upstairs to use the bathroom. I checked myself out in the mirror. My hair looked pretty good, considering I had gotten rained on and I wore a plain white t-shirt and pair of olive green fleece shorts. I pulled on my black vans and grey hoodie before I walked into the living room to wait.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.

_I'm outside._ –Edward

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Bella's outfit looks something similar to KStew's outfit in the 2008 Jalouse photoshoot. **

**I want to take this opportunity to thank a few people for reviewing. A few of my reviewers are guests, therefore I cannot send you each individual 'thank you's for reviewing my story and sharing your thoughts. Your names are _J Marie_ (I don't want to write your whole name without your permission), _Kayla_, _Susan_ and the other only titles their name as _Guest_. I wanted to thank you personally for taking the time to give my story some sweet reviews. :D**

**And now I want to thank you all for keeping up with my story and for sharing your thoughts and opinions with me. Thank you all so much for leaving me your reviews. **

**Till next time. xoxo**


	12. Chapter 12: Confessions

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Confessions**

"Hey," I said as I climbed into Edward's silver Volvo.

He left the car on idle so that the heater would keep the car nice and warm.

"Hi," he said, giving me a small smirk.

"How's Emmett doing?"

"He's wasted," Edward chuckled. "But Rose is with him, so he'll be fine. He's staying over at her place tonight. I just dropped them off."

Edward's voice was low and raspy. I watched as he leaned his head back against the headrest before turning to look at me. His eyes were pink and a little cloudy.

"Are you stoned?" I asked as I gazed into his pale green eyes.

"I smoked a bowl with Jasper before I left," he answered, looking a little ashamed.

I laughed and shook my head at him.

"Let's get in the back seat," he suggested before pulling off his jacket and twisting to climb between the two front seats.

I laughed as I watched him struggle to squeeze his body through the narrow gab before I climbed into the back behind him. He adjusted himself, so that he leaned against the side of the car with his ukulele on his lap.

"Hey, I remember you," I said, as I pointed to the small instrument.

"Yup. I already forgot it was back here," he said as he began plucking a few notes here and there.

"What are you playing?" I asked.

"Nothing really," Edward shrugged as his fingers slid over the dainty nylon strings.

I kicked off my vans and pulled my feet up on the seat between us as I leaned back against the other side of the Volvo. I watched as Edward played softly in little patterns that he would switch up every little while.

"Did you have fun tonight?" Edward asked. His eyes were still on the ukulele.

"Yeah. It was nice."

"Mike is gonna have a shit load to clean up tomorrow," Edward said with a small smile.

I chuckled at him.

"Can I ask you something?" I said in a low voice.

Edward met my gaze.

"What's up with you and Lauren?"

Edward played a few more notes and he let his eyes wonder around the interior of the car as he thought.

"What do you mean?" he asked when his eyes were finally back on me.

"Are you guys dating or something?" I asked.

"No," Edward said. He looked a little confused.

"She keeps giving me dirty looks and I guess I was just wondering if you guys have a thing going on." I busied myself by picking at a small hole on my sleeve.

"Lauren and I are just friends. Nothing more than that," Edward said in a low voice.

I met his gaze. He was watching me with an unreadable expression.

"Oh," is said with a nod. "I think she likes you though."

Edward's mouth twisted into his crooked smile.

"Are you jealous or something?" he asked.

"No," I said as I blushed furiously beneath his gaze.

Edward's smile spread into a toothy grin as he watched me.

"Yes you are," he said with a deep chuckle.

"Shut up," I laughed as I nudged his chest with my foot.

Edward strong hand gripped my ankle as soon as my toes made contact with him. I gasped at how firmly he held me. Edward eyes flickered from my face, down my bare legs and then onto my sock covered foot.

"You have little feet," he mused as he held my foot against the palm of his hand, measuring the two sizes together.

His large hand was a couple of inches bigger than my foot.

I watched him study my toes for a minute. His grasp on my ankle loosened and then he slid his thumb firmly over the arch of my foot. I held back the moan that threatened to escape my lips. Edward's eyes flickered back to my face as his thumb continued up over the ball of my foot before tugging softly on my toes. A shiver ran through my body from the sensation. The way he touched my foot was almost too sexy for me to handle. I gulped as I watched him watching me.

A small mile broke across his face as he ran his short nail back down my foot. I gasped and tried to pull my foot away, but his grasp on my ankle tightened, keeping my foot securely in his reach.

"Please!" I shrieked when he ran his nail over the bottom of my foot again.

"Are you ticklish, Bella?" he asked in an achingly tender voice.

"I am!" I whined as I tried to pull my foot away again. "Please, don't do that!"

"Relax," Edward chuckled as he ran his thumb back over the arch.

I could tell he was trying to sooth me, but I was paranoid and tried again to unsuccessfully pull away.

"Relax," he repeated. "I won't tickle you again, I promise."

His eyes were back on my foot as he rubbed his thumb firmly over the balls of my feet.

"So what about you?" Edward asked as he dropped my left foot and reached for my right. "Was there a guy you had to leave back home?"

I watched his face as he worked.

"No," I answered truthfully. "I've never really… dated anyone."

"Never?" he asked, his eyes were back on me now, scrutinizing my face.

"Never. I've never even had a boyfriend before," I said in a low voice.

I didn't know why I was telling him this, but it felt right to tell him the truth. I didn't want him to expect things from me or have the wrong impression because I kept throwing myself at him. I wanted him to know that I didn't usually do that kind of thing. As I thought this over in my head, I began feeling slightly embarrassed about he whole thing. I began to wonder what his reaction would be like if I told him straight out that I was a virgin. Would he be upset? Would he think I was weird or something? I was almost positive that Edward wasn't a virgin. I could tell by the way he touched me and took control whenever we kissed.

"Have you ever been with a guy, Bella?" Edward asked, eyeing my expression.

I gulped as I thought over his question. I was surprised that he felt bold enough to ask me that.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly as he dragged his hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have asked you that. It was rude."

"No, its ok," I said in a low voice. The hole on my sleeve had my attention again.

"It's just, I could tell you were trying to tell me something earlier at Mike's house," he continued, "but you didn't get the chance to finish. You don't have to tell me anything, but I feel like… I don't know… I just don't want to push you to do anything you're not comfortable with, you know?"

I blushed scarlet and kept my eyes away from him.

Edward sat up and slid towards me. One of my legs stayed between us, while my other leg fell over his lap. He was so much bigger than me, his body towering over me as he leaned in, trying to look into my eyes.

"Hey," he said in a low voice.

I glanced up at him. His eyes were on me and a small smile was playing at the corner of his mouth.

"I like hanging out with you," he said. "I just want you to tell me to stop or at least tell me if I ever do something you're not comfortable with."

"Ok," I mumbled.

"This seems ok, though," Edward said as he brushed his fingertips against my thigh.

I felt my body shiver beneath his touch.

"How many girls have you been with?" I asked. My voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Edward kept his eyes on my leg where he brushed circular patterns against my skin.

"Only a few," he said. "But it was never anything too serious."

"Have you had many girlfriends?" I asked.

"Just one when I was like, thirteen. It lasted a week," he laughed.

I smirked at him.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know," he sighed. "There have been a lot of… complications in my life."

"Complications?"

"It's a long story," Edward sighed, glancing up at me.

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?" I could see the wall coming up around him again.

"Not really," Edward said. "It makes me think about things that I don't really like thinking about."

I watched as Edward slid a couple of inches away from me before leaning against the backrest. His eyes were on the roof of the car, but I could tell his mind was miles away. It was time. I knew it was time. I didn't want to keep it a secret anymore. The fact that I had known him once when we were little shouldn't be that big of a deal, anyway. I mean, its ok if he didn't remember me. But the fact that I acted like I didn't know him at all felt like I was lying to him. Because I had at least known some of him… once.

"I want to tell you something and it might sound really weird." I let out a shaky laugh.

"Ok," Edward said, smirking back at me.

"I used to live in Forks until I was like, I don't know, four or something," I said. "I was born here and spent the first few years of my life here until my parents divorced and my mom took me away from Charlie."

I watched Edward's smile fade as my story continued.

"When I was little, my mom used to hang out with a woman and her son. That son had the same green eyes and bronze hair that you have." I watched his face as I spoke. "Do you remember the day I left?" I asked.

"What?" Edward asked. I watched as his eyebrows pulled together into a small frown.

"I was four and you were five when my mom took me to see you and your mother the day before we left. I told you I was leaving. I was crying and you hugged me and told me that everything was going to be ok. You told me you would see me tomorrow and for some reason, I believed you." I dropped my eyes to my fumbling fingers. "I woke up the next day in Phoenix and my mother told me we weren't going back to Forks. I guess that's why I remember you after all these years. It was probably the first time I had ever felt so sad in my life."

I glanced back at Edward and watched as his eyes flickered over my face, taking in my story.

"A-Are you sure it was me?" he stuttered.

I nodded.

"How do you know?"

"Because I knew your face, the first time I saw you at Forks High. I recognized you."

Edward looked away from me and I watched as his frown deepened.

"I'm sorry Bella, I don't remember that at all," he whispered.

"What happened to your parents?" I asked in a low voice.

"What?" he asked, turning back at me. His tone was almost angry.

"Your parents," I repeated. "I knew your mother, Elizabeth—"

"They're gone now, Bella," Edward said in a deep voice. I didn't miss the way he flinched when I said her name.

"Gone?" I asked.

"Yes, they're gone. Look…" Edward scrubbed his hands roughly over his face. " I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Ok," I said.

I watched as he slid further away from me. He kept his eyes closed as he ran his fingers roughly through his hair. I could see that brick wall seal itself around him. He was done. He didn't want to talk anymore. He looked so angry and frustrated. Something had happened to his parents, I was sure of it. Did they leave him? Abandon him? What did he mean by saying they were gone? I suddenly felt very stupid and childish for bring it up.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked.

"No," he said, turning his gaze back towards me. His expression was softer now. "Lets just talk about something else."

We sat in silence for a moment until Edward picked up the ukulele and started playing again. I watched him for a minute, trying to come up with something nice to say to break the silence, but there was nothing. I felt totally awkward, but couldn't bring myself to want to say goodnight. I glanced out of the back windshield as saw that the sky was beginning to glow from the coming sunrise. I wondered what time it was.

"I can't believe we used to know each other…" Edward said under his breath.

I glanced at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I don't remember too much of my childhood," he said. "I remember some things, some details about my parents, but… I guess I blocked everything else out."

I sat quietly, watching as he plucked a few more notes before placing his hand over the strings to silent them.

"I started elementary school when I was seven because I bounced around in foster care for the first couple of years after they were gone. That was when Carlisle eventually offered to be my legal guardian. He had known my father."

"What happened to them?" I asked in a low voice.

Edward sighed as he ran his hand through his hair again.

"Another time, Bella," he said as he began playing again.

"Sure," I mumbled as I listened to him play.

We were quite for a while until Edward turned to look at me.

"Why do you think your mom wanted to leave Forks?" he asked.

"Well," I sighed. "My mom is a very free spirited woman. I think she felt suffocated here. Whenever I would ask her, she would say she missed the sunshine and the heat. I think that when she got pregnant and Charlie got his job as chief of police, I think she knew that there wasn't much of a chance that she would get out of Forks. I think she resented him for that."

"For making his life here so permanent?" he asked.

"I guess so," I said. "But Forks isn't so bad."

Edward snorted. "Yes it is."

"You want to leave Forks?" I asked.

"Yeah, some day."

"Have you ever been outside of Washington?"

"I was actually born in Chicago," Edward said as he strummed a few short chords. "My father was a doctor, that's how he met Carlisle. I was told that my parents and I had moved to Forks because my father was offered a position here, which he took…"

I watched as his expression shifted from relaxed to strained. His eyebrows puckered forward. He was upset.

"We don't have to talk about this anymore," I whispered. I wanted to comfort him, but I didn't know how.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I've spent years trying to forget the details and it's just… difficult to even consider thinking about them again."

We were quite again for a few minutes while Edward plucked away on the strings of his ukulele.

"Bella, its almost 5," Edward said in a low voice. "I should get going."

I pulled on my shoes and climbed out of his car. Edward followed me and walked me up the steps to Alice's house. We were quiet as we looked at each other, and then he smiled and leaned in to pull me into a hug. I was surprised by the gesture, but immediately melted in his embrace and hugged him back. It was our first real hug.

I heard him take a deep breath before he whispered, "I'll see you later," into my ear and pulled way.

"Bye," I mumbled as I watched him walk back towards his car.

I offered a quick wave before stepping very quietly into Alice's house, trying my best not to wake Alice or her mother. Downstairs I climbed into bed and fell almost immediately to sleep.

I had only slept a few hours when Alice jumped on my tummy and forced me to wake up. It was 9 o'clock. I groaned and tried my best to turn away from her to try to get a few more hours of sleep. My head was killing me.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" she yelled as she jumped onto my tummy again.

"Ow! Alice, that hurts!" I chuckled as I clutched my sore stomach.

"Get up and take a shower," Alice urged. "Lets go get some breakfast."

I took a quick shower before pulling on my jeans and hoodie and I was still yawning as I drove Alice and I through town to the tiny diner next door to Newton's Sporting Goods. I felt so groggy and weak; it was going to be a shitty Sunday. The diner was small and cute with statues of grizzly bears carved from wood. Alice and I ordered some coffees and some waffles with fruit.

As we waited for our breakfast, Alice began telling me about what exactly had happened between her and Jasper; which was basically a more detailed version of what Rose had told me in my room last Thursday. But apparently Alice had woken up today with a whole new mindset. She said that she really liked Jasper and that she cared bout him. She figured that if she cared so much about someone, then why not make things official. I agreed with her and told her that they could still be friends, but if the label made him more comfortable, then maybe she should take his feelings into consideration. She agreed with me and decided that she should call him as soon as we were done with breakfast. I encouraged her to ask him to meet up and tell him in person. It seemed more romantic that way, like out of a book.

Our food came soon after and we both stuffed our mouths with buttery waffles and fresh strawberries. It was delicious. While I was in the middle of sipping my coffee, my phone in my pocket buzzed.

It was a text from Edward.

_Are you as tired as I am?_ –Edward

I laughed as I read his text.

_Alice woke me up at 9 by jumping on my tummy,_ I wrote.

_My mom got up feeling guilty about lying to a client last night, so she woke me up and dragged my ass to church this morning_. –Edward

_Lol. Poor you,_ I wrote.

_What are you up to?_ –Edward

_Eating breakfast with Alice at that small diner next to Newton's Sporting Goods,_ I wrote.

_What are you eating?_ –Edward

_Waffles and strawberries,_ I wrote.

_Yum. You still owe me dinner._ –Edward

_Do I?_ I wrote

"Who are you texting?" Alice asked. She had stayed quiet for the past five minutes, but I could tell she was ready to burst.

"Edward," I laughed.

"Really?" she looked surprised.

_Yes. You told me you would that day we were at the market._ –Edward

_Liar,_ I wrote. _You suggested I make you dinner. I never agreed._

_Same thing._ –Edward

"What are you guys talking about?" Alice asked, eyeing my phone.

"Nothing really," I answered honestly.

_Gotta go,_ I wrote. _Alice is getting nosy._

_See you tomorrow._ –Edward

I smiled and placed my phone back in my pocket. It was going to be a great Sunday after all.

Alice decided to come over to my place for a few hours so that we could work on some homework together. We spent the day with Charlie in the living room, talking and studying while Charlie watched a baseball game. He and Alice got along really well, throwing conversation at each other back and forth. She knew a lot about sports, so halfway through studying she would stop and watch the game, cheering with Charlie if someone made a home run or whatever. I laughed at them and busied myself with some math homework.

After a half hour of Alice ignoring me to talk to Charlie about the game, I grew incredibly bored and pulled out my phone to text Edward.

_I'm bored, I wrote. Alice came over to my place and she's bonding with Charlie over baseball._

_Lucky._ –Edward

_I love baseball_. –Edward

_What are you up to?_ I wrote.

_I took Mike to the chiropractor. His back is worse._ –Edward

_That's nice of you. Hope Mike is all right,_ I wrote.

_He'll be fine._ –Edward

_Studying for finals yet or are you putting it off like me?_ –Edward

_I'm studying. Working on some math problems,_ I wrote.

_We have a midterm in Bio tomorrow._ –Edward

_I know_, I wrote

_Mike is here now. ttyl._ –Edward

I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket. Edward was right, I needed to work on some Biology homework. Alice was back to studying and an hour later she got a phone call from Jasper. She had texted him when we got back from breakfast and he had finally called her back. He wanted to see her, so twenty minutes later she said goodbye to Charlie and me and met Jasper in front of my house. I waved a goodbye to them before shutting the door behind Alice.

"I like her," Charlie said as he pulled a Tony's Pizza brochure from a drawer in the kitchen.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed. "Dad, I'm gonna go to my room. I have a lot of stuff to finish for school tomorrow."

Charlie gave me a small wave as I left the kitchen to grab my books and make my way upstairs.

I was finally finishing up my Biology notes when my phone buzzed from my bedside table. I glanced at the clock; it was a little before midnight. I frowned and reached for my phone. Instantly, my frown transformed into a wide smile. It was Edward again.

_Are you up?_ –Edward

_Yes. Still studying,_ I wrote.

_I'm bored._ –Edward

_Did you study yet?_ I wrote.

_Some. But I don't want to study._ –Edward

_What do you wanna do?_ I wrote.

_See you._ –Edward

I stared at his text for a moment and then I got up and cracked my bedroom door open. I could hear Charlie snoring, but I knew immediately that I didn't want to sneak Edward through the front door. I shut my door closed and locked it before picking up my phone.

_Do you want to come over?_ I wrote after taking a deep breath.

_Yes._ –Edward

_You'll have to sneak through my window,_ I wrote.

_Ok._ –Edward

_You think you can do that? You'll have to be very quite,_ I wrote.

_I'm sure I can handle it._ –Edward

_Ok. See you soon,_ I wrote.

I cleared off my bed and put away my schoolbooks before turning out my lap and leaving on only the twinkling lights that hung around my window. I lay down in bed, waiting for him as little wings fluttered excitedly in my tummy. I watched the clock. It was now 12:15. I knew I was going to have a hard time waking up tomorrow, but I was ready for all of my classes. I had spent the day studying, so there was nothing that I wasn't ready for. At 12:20 my phone buzzed.

_I'm outside._ –Edward

I walked over to my window and threw it open, very carefully as not to make too much noise. Edward was standing bellow my window. He gave me a small wave and I smiled down at him involuntarily before he began to climb.

I watched as he carefully maneuvered himself up the railing and vines that stood below my window. He scaled the wall quickly and quietly before climbing through my window.

"Hey," he breathed into my face as he carefully placed his feet on my floor.

"Hi," I said in a small giggle before closing my window behind him.

I watched as Edward pulled off his beanie and hoodie before removing his wet shoes. His hair was wet and he smelled clean and fresh. When he was done placing his things on the rocking chair in the corner, I gestured for him to follow me to my bed. He sat at the foot of the bed with his legs crossed.

"What's up?" I asked with a soft laugh.

Edward chuckled softly and then added a shrug.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked in a whisper.

"No." Edward whispered back.

"How come?"

"I kept thinking about you," he said. I felt my cheeks warm under his gaze.

"Yeah, I figured. You were texting me all day," I giggled.

"Yeah, I was," he chuckled again.

We were quiet for a moment, just looking at each other.

"Do you want to lay down?" I asked.

Edward gave me a small smile before climbing up the bed towards me. I moved over so that we could lie side by side facing each other. I watched as his eyes flickered over my face. My bed was so small that our knees and forearms were touching. The heat from his body was radiating against mine and it felt really nice. I didn't feel nervous as I gazed at him. I felt comfortable and happy.

Edward's expression was unreadable as he gazed at me and I began to wonder what he could possibly be thinking or feeling. He was so hard to read sometimes.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked in a whisper.

He was quiet for a moment.

"You," he answered honestly.

"What about me?"

"I was thinking that…" he paused, almost as if he was gaging my reaction.

"I like you Bella," he said in a low voice.

My chest gave a hard pull when he said this.

"You like me?" I asked with a smile.

He nodded, a small smile spreading across his face.

"I think I like you too," I said.

"Maybe we should go out sometime," he whispered. I watched as he busied himself by playing with a lock of my hair.

"Out where?" I asked.

"To a movie or something?" he shrugged. "Wherever you want."

I had to swallow hard to keep my heart from fluttering out of my chest.

"Sure," I said.

"I got a text from Jasper earlier," Edward said. "He told me that he and Alice made up. She's his girlfriend now."

"Oh, right," I giggled. "This morning when Alice woke up, she had a whole new perspective on things. She knew exactly what she wanted and realized that what she wanted was Jasper; more than she had ever let herself believe." I giggled and shook my head at the thought. Alice was so confusing sometimes.

"Yeah," Edward agreed. He was watching my eyes.

I watched as he tentatively reached up to brush a few strands of hair way from my face. I almost felt naked from the way Edward was watching me. It was as if he could see into my soul. I felt my heart rate pick up as he scooted closer to me.

"I'm sorry for keeping you awake," he suddenly said. "I know we have midterms tomorrow."

"Its fine," I said. "I did a lot of homework and a lot of studying today. I'm ready."

"Then maybe you should help me with our Bio midterm. I didn't study much."

"Why?" I asked with a small chuckle.

"I already told you," he whispered.

"Because of me?" I asked tentatively.

Edward nodded. "I couldn't stop thinking about you." His voice was so low, I almost didn't hear him.

I blushed and looked away.

Edward's hand brushed against my chin, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. I stared back at him for a moment before he leaned down and kissed me. His lips were gentle and soft. I opened my mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Our kisses were soft and tender for a while, but they grew much more rough as we began to tug on each other's clothes. Soon, Edward had positioned himself on top of me, between my legs. I let him, savoring the way his tongue grazed against mine while his hands pushed up beneath my shirt. But again, I realized that I wasn't really ready to have sex with him, so when his hands tried to remove my shorts, I had to firmly grip his wrists.

"Sorry," he gasped against my lips. "I'm a seventeen year old guy. Don't hold it against me."

I chuckled at his words.

"Edward," I breathed softly. "I've never really done this kind of thing before."

Edward searched my face for a moment before he smiled and leaned down to kiss me again. I smiled against his lips when I felt his hands release my shorts and move up to cup my breasts over my shirt. I moaned deep in my throat and pushed my chest into his hands.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked against my lips. His voice was a low purr.

"Touch me." I tried to keep my voice as low as possible.

"You don't mind if I touch you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I just don't want to have s-sex just yet. Not yet."

Edward chuckled against my mouth before his lips kissed a path down my neck and his hands wondered beneath my shirt over my bare skin. I had to bit my lip when Edward's hands enclosed over my breasts, his thumbs grazing against my hard nipples. It was so difficult to keep myself from ripping his clothes off of him. Our kisses and touches remained heated to the point where Edward began gyrating his hips against me. Much like the time in the backseat of his car, Edward's hand ended up in my panties.

I panted and whined and wiggled against him when he dipped the tip of his finger into me to bring my wetness up towards my clit. I loved the way he held me firmly against his body when I jolted and rocked back and forth in pleasure. The pace of his hand on my crotch never slackened even when I tried to pull his moving fingers away from me when the sensation became too strong. When my orgasm had reached its peak I felt my juices explode onto his fingers as a wave of heat and pure ecstasy shook through my body. It happened in waves, a slow buildup until I was finally pushed over the edge. My climax crashed like water against stones on an angry shore. Edward kept his mouth tightly glued to mine as I came, silencing my moans until they died down to soft whimpers.

He finally pulled his hand out of my pants once I was lying like a limp noodle beneath him. But I could still feel his hard erection on my thigh, and I wanted to help him relieve it. With a weak arm, I placed my hand on his crotch and Edward let out a low involuntary groan. I took it as a good sign so I moved my hand against him, softly stroking him up and down through his pants. Edward's breathing had picked up before he leaned away from me and unbuckled his pants. I helped him remove the barrier between my hand and his cock, helping him push his pants and boxers down his thighs. But once I got to that point, I didn't really know how to proceed.

With a timid hand I wrapped my fingers around him and Edward let out a low unintentional hiss. Slowly, I pulled my hand up his length towards the head and then back down towards the base. After a few more slow strokes, Edward's patience was wearing thin. His hand wrapped around mine before he began to pump himself quickly close to the head. I watched as he forced my hand to circle the head of his dick, allowing his precum to lubricate my fist before sliding hit back down his length. It didn't take very long until his panting grew much more aggressive and he began releasing strangled groans in between.

"Fuck, Bella I'm gonna come," he mumbled as his hand picked up the pace.

I didn't know what to do, so I just let him continue. My eyes were on him and I watched as his face screwed up seconds before he hit his release. His chest and stomach trembled violently when the hot liquid squirted repeatedly from the head of his dick and landed on his shirt and on my arm with a few rough pumps.

I lay there beside him until his orgasm died down. Eventually, he opened his eyes again and looked at me.

"Was that ok?" he asked in a deep raspy voice. He almost looked worried, like he had done something wrong.

I nodded with smile and watched as he pulled off his shirt and wiped my arm and hand.

"Was it ok for you?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah," he chuckled, slightly mocking me. "It was ok for me."

We lay there for a little while longer, my head resting on his chest while his hands stroked the skin on my arm. And soon I felt myself on the verge of sleep.

"Bella," Edward whispered into my hair.

"Hmm?"

"I'm falling asleep," he mumbled. "I need to go."

I sighed and hugged his bare torso closer to my face. I herd the rumble in his chest as he laughed softly.

"If I don't leave now, I'm gonna knock out," he warned.

"So what?" I murmured against his chest.

I knew that I shouldn't provoke him, but his body felt way too amazing wrapped around mine. I didn't want to let him go yet.

I heard Edward moan softly as he shifted beneath me and pulled me in tighter against his body.

I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep until Edward was gently nudging me again.

"Bella, wake up," he whispered against my forehead.

I opened my eyes and looked up to meet his sleepy gaze.

"Its after 4 in the morning," he whispered. "I have to go or I'll get you in trouble."

I nodded and untangled myself from around him. I watched as he sat up and walked slowly over to the rocking chair, pulling on his hoodie, his beanie and his shoes. I yawned again and gave him a wide smile. I couldn't help but feel so joyful and carefree about our new little relationship or friendship or whatever it was that we were doing. I didn't know what to call it, but it didn't really matter to me. I was happy with what we had together.

"What are you thinking?" he asked as he smiled back at me.

"I'm just… happy," I answered honestly. "This was nice."

"You're so fucking cute," he whispered as he moved towards me to place a rough kiss against my lips.

I moaned softly as I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth.

I got up from my bed and walked him to the window. He turned to me and ran his fingers through my hair before he leaned down and gave me one last quick kiss.

"I'll see you at school," he whispered, and then I watched as he pulled the window open and then skillfully descended the length of the side of my house.

I almost felt guilty as I watched him jog swiftly to his car. Poor Charlie, the chief of police was completely unaware that his daughter was so easily sneaking a boy into her bedroom. But I really didn't feel that guilty. I didn't plan on making this the last time that I let Edward sneak into my room.

No sir, this was definitely only the first time.

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**Author's Note:**

**So things seemed to be getting pretty serious, huh? I have work tomorrow and other commitments, but I'll try to post as often as possible. As you know, I edit my own chapters, which takes hours to write, read and re-read.**

**Thanks again or the reviews, and keep it up, gang! :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13: Midterms

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Midterms**

The next day at school, I sat impatiently all through my first few classes. I only had a couple of midterms that morning, World History and English because my Algebra and Spanish midterm was pushed back an extra day. In English, we had a simple writing assignment, a few short essays about our in class readings. It was definitely a breeze. I was one of the first to finish. Alice seemed to be in a really good mood today too. I watched as she bounced happily in her seat while she quickly wrote out her long essay. My essay was much shorter than hers, but I was still confident that I would have a good score. When English was over, Alice and I walked over towards the cafeteria.

"So," I began. "You and Jasper, huh?"

"I know," Alice laughed excitedly. "I don't know what the heck my problem was."

"I do," I said. "But it doesn't matter now. As long as you're happy."

"I really am happy," Alice said quietly. "And I still can't believe that Jasper was so patient with me. I'm lucky."

I smiled at her, nodding in agreement.

In the cafeteria, we filled our trays with burgers and fries before paying and turning towards our lunch table. My eyes found Edward immediately; he was sitting beside the seat I usually sat in. Like always, he looked cozy in his uniform blazer and black beanie. I smiled as I approached him and placed my tray down in front of the empty seat to his right. Alice skipped quickly to Jasper's side, placed her tray down and climbed into his lap. I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Hi," Edward whispered close to me as I took my seat.

"Hey," I whispered back as I turned to look at him.

We gave each other a couple of shy glances before I turned towards my lunch and started eating.

Edward spent almost the entire lunch break watching me eat. Sometimes he would sneak a fry from my plate or try to steal a bite from my burger. It was hilarious, so I ended up offering him the rest of my half eaten burger once I had my fill.

"Why don't you ever buy lunch?" I asked as I took a drink from my water bottle.

"I don't like standing in lines," Edward said around a bite of hamburger.

"The line goes by very quickly," I urged. "You should try it some time."

"Does it bother you that I'm eating your lunch?" he asked as he forced a couple of fries into his full mouth.

"No," I answered honestly. "I just know that half of a burger isn't going to do much to fill you up." I gestured to his size with my hand.

Edward shrugged as he stuffed the rest of the burger into his mouth.

"Are you ready for our Biology exam?" he asked after taking a long gulp from his red Gatorade.

"Yup," I said with a confident smile. "You?"

"Not even the slightest," he murmured. And then he leaned in close to me. "And I didn't get much sleep last night either."

I giggled and looked away.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" he asked, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Oh no," I cringed, dropping my head into my hands. My mother had always told me I was verbal sleeper. "Did I say anything embarrassing?"

Edward thought for a moment.

"Define embarrassing," he said.

I groaned louder, turning away from him.

"I'm just kidding, Bella," Edward murmured in my ear as he draped his arm over the back of my chair.

"Then tell me what I said," I whispered to him.

"You said…" he thought for a moment. "You talked about your mom a little, and Charlie…"

"Anything else?" I asked, scrutinizing his face between my fingers.

"You said my name," he whispered to me.

I blushed and turned away.

"It was nice," he whispered again. "I'm happy I didn't miss anything."

I tried to look away from him again, but Edward griped my chair and slid it closer to him so that our thighs were touching. A tingling ran through my body from the contact and I had to suppress the shiver that ran down my spine.

"Why are you so embarrassed?" he whispered in my ear.

I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the sticker theat I was trying to peel off of the warn lunch table. I felt his chest brush against my left arm.

"Bella," he whispered again. I could feel his breath tickle my ear. "Look at me."

I glanced up at him, but my hair was blocking some of my line of sight. Edward reached his hand up, brushing my hair way from my face and tucking it behind my ear. The gesture was sweet and innocent, but it still sent a flutter down to my lady parts. I met his gaze. His face was only inches away from mine. Time seemed to stop as I looked at him. I was lost in deep pools of jade. I studied the darker tones of green on the outer rims of his irises as well as the flecks of yellow, orange and gold that played around the pupil. His eyes were the most amazing shade of green. I wasn't even sure if that color had a name. It was so unique, so perfect, so Edward. We continued to look into each other's eyes until someone was suddenly nudging me. It was Rosalie.

"Bella, you're going to be late," she giggled as she eyed Edward's arm around me.

I glanced around the cafeteria, surprised that it was already almost empty. Edward and I were so caught up in our own little bubble that I we hadn't even heard the bell ring. We both jumped up from our seats, and Edward dumped our trash while I threw my backpack over my shoulder. We walked swiftly side by side to class, laughing at how dumb we were for being late to a midterm.

The second bell rang just as Edward pulled our classroom door open. I sighed happily when I noticed that Mr. Banner was late.

"You guys are lucky," Mike laughed as we passed his desk.

"How come you didn't say anything, fucker?" Edward asked as threw a soft punch to Mike's shoulder.

"I didn't want to interrupt," Mike said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

I gaped at Mike, but Edward just laughed and shook his head.

Once we reached our table, we shrugged off our bags and sat down, waiting for our teacher to arrive. The entire class was talking and whispering to each other, obviously stressed about the exam. I glanced at Edward and thought about how different he had been acting lately. He was acting so carefree and happy. It was definitely different compared the boy I had seen only a couple of weeks ago. The boy beneath the cool collected surface was breaking free.

I smiled to myself as I looked away.

"I don't think I'm going to pass," Edward mumbled under his breath.

I glanced up at him.

"I didn't study at all," he said to me in a low voice.

"You're really smart, Edward," I reassured him. "You'll do fine."

He sighed and looked at his hands. I watched as he twirled his thumbs around nervously. After about twenty minutes a short, plump administrative assistant walked in to our class.

"You're teacher called in sick today." She spoke loud and clear with a bit of an accent that I couldn't place. "I suggest you use this class period wisely as your exam will be postponed until tomorrow."

The entire class erupted into a round of applause; Mike even whistled happily as he looked over at Edward and I. I laughed at clapped along with everyone, but laughed even louder when I saw the wide excited grin plastered on Edward's face.

We got up and made our way out of the building.

"Do you wanna study with me?" Edward asked, gesturing towards the cafeteria.

"Right now?"

"Sure. We have a free hour."

"Ok," I said as I followed him through the cafeteria doors.

The hall was deserted and I glanced around nervously as we took our usual seats at our table.

"We're not going to get into trouble, are we?" I asked under my breath.

"For what?" Edward chuckled at me.

"I don't know," I answered. "It just looks like we're up to no good."

"We're just studying, Bella," Edward said as he pulled his books out of his messenger bag.

I followed suit, removing my books and notes as well.

We spent the next thirty minutes going over questions and answers in our lab books and lab notes. There was a lot of vocabulary words and different analysis questions that Edward still needed to learn, but he wasn't as far behind as he thought he was. He could have easily bullshit an A on that exam with no problem.

As I read out a particularly hard question to him, I glanced up and stuttered when I caught him watching me. His eyes were on my mouth and his expression was almost sleepy like.

"What?" I asked, looking away shyly.

"You're just so… cute," he whispered as he leaned in towards my face, his nose brushed softly against mine. "You have no idea how cute you are."

"Edward," I sighed as I nudged him with my shoulder. "You're dazz—"

But his face suddenly swooped down and caught my lips in a firm kiss. I sighed deeply as his tongue slid into my mouth, tasting me. We kissed for a few more seconds, in a slow rhythmic pattern.

"Sorry," he murmured as he pulled away from me.

"For what?" I asked, slightly flushed.

"I…" Edward chuckled. "I interrupted you."

"Oh," I laughed with him.

We gave each other a few more shy smiles before turning back to our Biology notes. The rest of the hour passed quickly after that and when the bell rang, Edward and I packed up our bags and walked out towards the gym.

"So what are you doing after school?" Edward asked.

"I don't know," I said as I moved towards the gym door that led to the girls locker room.

"Do you want to maybe study some more? I can help you prepare for your Algebra midterm tomorrow."

I watched as he nervously kicked a stone around with the tip of his black converse.

"Sure," I said as little wings made themselves present in my tummy. "Where?"

"My parents wont be home and I think Emmett is taking Rosalie out or something. We can hang out at my place… or yours. Whatever you want."

"Your place is fine," I chuckled.

"Cool," Edward laughed at himself. "I'll pick you up at your house after school then."

"Ok," I said. I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

Edward let out a nervous throaty laugh before shaking his head and walking away. With that, I pushed through the heavy gym door and hurried to change into my gym clothes.

I was in a daze all through Gym. All I could think about was Edward as I stood lazily in the back corner of a volleyball court. Everything between Edward and I was slowly falling together so perfectly. I felt happy and excited about the idea of just spending time with him. He was slowly starting to open up to me. And last night… last night he told me he liked me. That was a big deal for me. A huge deal. Now I knew that it wasn't just about sex or kissing or any of that stuff. Edward was actually going out of his way to text me, to talk to me, to spend time with me. Sure, we did kiss and stuff, but that was because we couldn't help the obvious attraction that was there. I mean, I was definitely lusting after the guy. But what was even more amazingly funny was how nervous and silly we were acting about the whole thing. We looked like obvious rookies when it came down to having a relationship with the opposite sex. It was obvious that Edward didn't treat Rosalie or Alice or even Lauren like how he treated me. And maybe that was because Edward actually kind of liked me as more than just his friend. Was it possible?

Alice remained completely unaware of current state. She was so wrapped up in her new relationship with Jasper, which was totally fine by me. She kept most of Angela's attention on her during our Gym hour so I was able to daydream freely about what Edward and I were going to do at his place. I began wondering about what his room would look like. Was he a clean guy or messy like Charlie?

As I walked towards the parking lot I realized that I didn't really like the idea of Edward picking me up to drive me to his house. I didn't want Charlie to get suspicious and I definitely didn't want to have to explain to Charlie why I was out with a boy. That was a conversation I wanted to avoid at all cost. I decided I would just drive myself.

I walked swiftly over to where Edward was leaning against his car, waiting for Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie.

"Hey," he said as I came into view.

"Do you mind if I just follow you to your place?" I asked.

"Uh… sure," he said after he thought for a minute. "Can I still meet you at your house first? I need to drop Emmett, Rose and Jasper off."

"Of course," I said. "See you later."

I turned to walk back towards my truck.

"See you soon," Edward called from behind me.

I turned to see him watching me with a wide smile. I chuckled at him and offered a quick wave.

I drove home riding happily on cloud 9. When I got home, I climbed out of the truck and sat patiently on the front porch waiting for Edward. It was fairly dry that afternoon, so I didn't really mind sitting outside. About twenty minutes later, Edward pulled into my driveway before he stepped out from behind the driver's seat. I got up quickly and tugged on the bottom hem of my skirt as I made my way over to his car.

"Hi," I breathed as I approached him.

"Sorry I took so long," Edward apologized he leaned against his car.

"You didn't."

"Maybe I should just drive you," Edward suggested. "The road to my place is a little confusing and I don't want you to get lost on your way home."

"Um," I had to think for a moment. "I really don't want to have to explain to Charlie."

"I'll bring you back before 7," he offered.

"Ok," I agreed.

I grabbed my bag from the truck and then climbed into Edward's Volvo.

We drove to his place mostly in silence, only commenting on the weather or a song on the radio. I was a little amazed when Edward drove through the unpaved road to his house. I was immediately lost by all of the twist and turns, but he drove quickly, easily finding his way through the thick maze of greenery. I was happy that I wouldn't have to navigate the dizzying drive home on my own after all. I didn't forget how difficult it was the last time when I had given him and Emmett a ride home.

Edward pulled up in front of his house before cutting the engine. I followed him out of his car and through his front door. His house looked the same as it did the last time I had been there. Clean and white and perfect. Only this time, I noticed a large black grand piano sitting on a raised platform in the corner of the living room by the wall length window. I had to suppress a moan of pleasure from its beauty.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Edward asked as he made his way towards the kitchen.

"Um…" I said as I followed him.

Edward opened the refrigerator and I saw some condiments and food, followed by rows of Gatorade bottles, water bottles, a pitcher of iced tea and a row of bottle beer at the bottom.

"Water is fine," I said.

Edward grabbed two water bottles before heading towards the staircase.

"My room is up here," he said as we climbed two flights of stairs.

Edward's room was the only door on the third floor. Well, his door plus and small one on the ceiling, which I assumed led to an attic.

"Its kind of a mess," he warned as he pushed the door open.

I stepped into his room and glanced around. It looked pretty clean to me, much cleaner than mine. And it was huge. Much like the living room, the south wall was completely covered in glass, which was partially covered by long, wall length light beige drapes. There was a large bed, with a thick white down comforter, which was left unmade and a large black leather couch against the furthest wall. There were two guitars, one acoustic and one electric and keyboard sitting on a stand. There was also a fireplace and a large flat screen TV above it. Around the fireplace, the wall was completely covered by a built in bookcase, which was filled with rows of books, DVD's, CD's, and vinyl records. There were a few dressers close beside two other doors. And right by the couch was a set of French doors, which led to a balcony. There were many papers, books and some clothes scattered about, but his room smelled like cologne and cinnamon and… like Edward himself.

"Dang," I exclaimed under my breath.

Edward laughed and ran his hand through his hair, almost like he was embarrassed.

"This is great," I said as I placed my bag down on his leather couch.

"Thanks," Edward said as he shrugged off his messenger bag before turning on his bedside lamps.

I watched as he began straightening out the blankets on his bed.

"My mom, Esme, works as an interior designer. She basically designed this entire house," he said.

"Cool." I responded. Images of Elizabeth ran through my head, but I suppressed them instantly. Now was not the time to bring up his childhood story again.

My eyes followed him as he moved around his room, picking up stray clothes before tossing them into a hamper in his closet. From what I could see, his closet looked pretty damn huge too.

Edward stood for a second, looking slightly uncomfortable as he patted down his pockets.

"Do you want a cigarette?" he asked.

"Sure," I said.

I grabbed my water bottle before I followed Edward out onto his balcony. It was a glorious sight, looking over the landscape that was his backyard. From our height, I could see over the trees towards the mountains. The skyline looked beautiful. The clouds were a deep grey, but I could see various shades of blue, purple and orange as the sun began to set under the horizon.

Edward handed me a cigarette and lit it for me before lighting his own. I took a drag and then sat in the singe plastic folding chair placed on the balcony.

"Its nice out here," I said. There was a soft brisk breeze that felt amazing on my skin.

"Yeah, it's a pretty great view," Edward said as he leaned against the railing.

"Do you have any midterms to study for besides Bio and Algebra?" I asked. I was trying to make conversation.

"Spanish," Edward said with a shrug.

"I didn't know you were taking Spanish too," I said.

He nodded and then we were quiet for another minute.

"I heard the Sunshine Underground are supposed to be playing in Port Angeles next week," he said. "I think it's on a Friday."

"Who are they?" I asked. I had never heard of that band before.

"They're an independent British rock band. They're pretty good but not too well known," he said. "I have one of their albums in the car. I can let you borrow it if you want."

"Yeah, thanks," I said. "What time is the show at?"

"Like at four. The guys want to go. We're planning on ditching our last class to get a head start on the road. Port Angeles is about an hour drive. The concert is supposed to be free, too. I'm sure there aren't going to be that many people."

I nodded, taking another drag from my cigarette.

"Do you want to go?" he asked, searching my face.

"Sure," I said, giving him a small smile.

"You can invite your friends too if you want. It would be fun."

"Yeah, it sounds fun," I agreed.

We finished our cigarettes and went back inside to start studying. Edward pulled off his blazer and white button down uniform shirt before he moved over to his record player and put on an old jazz band. I shrugged off my blazer and shoes before pulling my books out of my bag. We both sat on Edward's king sized bed with our legs crossed going over some math problems and trying to figure out the answers in the solution book. Every now and then his hand would brush against mine if he was trying to help me with a problem and every time our skin made contact I felt a bolt of excitement radiate through me. There were also many occasions when I would catch myself staring at his beautiful profile, or at his muscular back and the way it looked beneath his white t-shirt when he hunched over.

He caught me starring at him a couple of times, which made me flush pink with embarrassment. He would sit up to stretch and scratch his head through his black beanie before his eyes would shift to mine. I quickly dropped my gaze every time. But I couldn't help looking. It only took a matter of seconds before my eyes began to drift over his perfect features all over again.

"I'll be back," Edward said as he pushed himself off of the bed and walked towards one of the doors in his room. I watched as his hips and shoulders swayed lazily with each stride he took.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"The bathroom," Edward smirked at me from over his shoulder.

"Oh," I said with an embarrassed laugh.

While Edward busied himself, I made myself comfortable by stretching out onto my tummy and crossing my ankles in the air while I worked on another math problem. Edward's bed was very comfortable.

I heard the bathroom door unlock before he stepped out.

"Do you have a calculator?" I asked while I continued to scratch out a wrong answer on my piece of scrap paper.

When Edward didn't answer me I raised my eyes to glance at him. He was standing by the door with a dazed expression on his face. My eyes flickered to his hands; his right thumb was running repeated circles into his left palm.

"Edward?" I called.

"Huh?" he shook his head slightly as if he was being brought out of a trance.

"The calculator?" I asked again.

"What about it?" he looked confused.

"I asked if you had one that I could use," I laughed. "Are you alright?"

Edward let out a shaky laugh as he scrubbed his head through his beanie again.

"I'm fine," he said as he retrieved a calculator from his messenger bag. "Here."

We got back to work after that.

As we went through our math problems he began asking me questions about which movies I liked and what kind of music was in my iPod. At one point, when I admitted to liking Journey he got up and pulled out the _Frontiers_ album on vinyl. I was immediately in hysterics.

"Why do you even have that?" I laughed, clutching my ribs.

"Esme loves Journey," Edward chuckled as he replaced the Jazz group with the Journey album.

_Separate Ways_ was the first song on the album and I burst out into another fit of giggles when the familiar music began playing out of his expensive speakers. Edward laughed along with me, but I wasn't entirely sure if he was actually laughing _at_ me.

"Here we stand…" Edward began singing in a low goofy voice as he made his way over to me on the bed. "Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two…"

I giggled and listened as he sang the rest of the first verse. He looked so free and comfortable in his skin as he sang goofily along with Journey. It was then that I began realizing my true feelings for him. I was falling for him and falling hard. I felt a sense of warmth fill my chest and I knew I wanted to feel this way always. And as the chorus of the song began to build I began feeling eager and excited to sing along with him. If I was ever shy in front of him before, all of my shyness went through the window at that moment.

"Here it comes, here it comes…" Edward mumbled to me as he made the quick drum transition with his hands on his thigh.

"Someday love will find you," I sang with him. "Break those chains that bind you. One night will remind you how we touched and went our separate ways," I burst into loud laughter and gave up on trying to keep up with him.

"If he ever hurts you," Edward sang. "True love won't desert you. You know I still love you though we touched and went our separate ways."

We were in a fit of hysterics, rolling around on his large bed like a couple of freaks. But soon our laughter died down and we were left lying on our backs, our heads turned face to face.

"I want to kiss you," Edward said in a raspy voice.

I smiled at him and pressed my lips firmly against his.

Edward immediately responded, pulling my body easily into his arms as he deepened the kiss. My arms snaked their way over his shoulders so that I could push his beanie away and fist my fingers into his soft, thick hair. I moaned deep in my throat when Edward's hands grazed over my back before he wrapped his arms securely around my waist.

We broke apart with loud gasps and just stared at each other. His mouth opened and he looked like he wanted to say something, but he seemed to have decided against it. I watched as a mixture of emotions crossed his face, but they came and left so quickly that I wasn't able to decipher any of them.

"What is it?" I asked in a low voice.

Edward let out a soft laugh and shook his head. I watched as a small frown slowly covered his face when he dropped his gaze to my mouth.

"What's going on in there?" I whispered as I placed the pad of my index finger on his brow. His frown instantly smoothed out.

"I just… really like hanging out with you," he whispered to me. His eyes were back on mine.

"I like hanging out with you too," I whispered back.

Just then we heard the front door open and slam shut. We both pulled apart a little nervously. I watched as Edward pulled on his beanie while I sat up and straightened my skirt.

"I'll be right back," he said, giving me a small smile before he pulled his bedroom door open and disappeared.

My eyes drifted to the alarm clock on his bedside table as his footsteps faded down the stairs. It was 6:50. I got up and quickly stuffed my books and papers into my bag before pulling on my boots and blazer. Journey was still playing and I couldn't help but giggle softly as I left Edward's bedroom.

Downstairs I heard a man's smooth voice travel up the staircase. He was talking about work, a hospital and a patient who suffered from something I didn't understand. From what the conversation sounded like, immediately I knew it must be Carlisle. Edward had mentioned him being a doctor.

I took the last few steps and then walked quietly into the kitchen. My eyes found Edward first. His back was facing me and he was leaning against the center island in the kitchen on his forearms, listening to what Carlisle was saying. My eyes traveled down his tan pants; his left leg was crossed behind his right and then my eyes took in his black socks.

"Edward," Carlisle said, his eyes catching me in the doorway. "I didn't know you had company."

Edward glanced at me over his shoulder with a smile on his face.

"Sorry," Edward said while he gestured for me to come closer. "Dad, this is Bella. Bella, this is my dad Carlisle."

"Its nice to meet you Bella," Carlisle said as he held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." I shook his hand with a smile on my face.

"Are you hungry?" Carlisle asked. "I was about to heat up some dinner."

"No thanks," I said regretfully. "I actually have to go."

My eyes flickered to Edward and I watched as he hastily pulled out his phone to check the time.

"Shit," he breathed under his breath before he turned to run quickly back up the stairs. "Let me grab my shoes," he yelled down to me.

I laughed and turned back to Carlisle.

"So," he began as he busied himself with a large pot of leftover pasta. "You and Edward go to school together?"

"Yes, we have Biology together."

"How was your midterm?" he asked.

"Actually, it was canceled," I said was a small chuckle. "So we're taking it tomorrow."

"Cool. That means you two got an extra day to study," Carlisle said with a smile.

"Yup," I chuckled at him.

Carlisle was very handsome and looked very young to be a doctor. He was tall and kind of bulky with blond hair and blue eyes. And when he smiled his wide grin I could see a lot of Emmett in his features.

I heard Edward's feet thunder down the stairs seconds before he reached the kitchen.

"Let's go," he said as he unclipped his keys from the belt loop on his pants before he moved towards the front door.

"It was nice meeting you," I called to Carlisle as I scurried quickly towards the front door.

"You too Bella," Carlisle called after me.

"Sorry," Edward said as we climbed into his Volvo. "I didn't realize how late it was."

"Its fine," I said as I buckled in. "We still have like, ten minutes."

He laughed and pealed out down the dark twisting road. We arrived to my place in just over five minutes.

"Carlisle is really nice," I said as I glanced around the front of my house. Charlie wasn't home yet.

"Yeah, he is," Edward said as he cut the engine.

"Thanks for helping me with my Algebra problems, we're gonna kick some ass tomorrow," I laughed.

Edward laughed with me and shook his head.

"Goodnight," I whispered as I pulled the door open.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered back.

But as I was about to step out of the car, Edward grabbed my wrist.

"Wait," he said as he pulled open the compartment above the emergency brake.

I watched as he pulled out a small stack of CD's before he found the one he was looking for.

"Oh, right. The Sunshine Underground," I said, taking the case from him.

"See you tomorrow," Edward murmured.

I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before I climbed out of his car and rushed to the front door. Edward gave me a few short honks before he pulled out of my driveway and raced down the street back home.

Inside I quickly threw together a few grilled cheese sandwiches with some ham. Charlie arrived home as I was preparing his second sandwich and we sat together at the small dining room table to eat.

"How was work?" I asked as I picked at the gooey cheese.

"Good. Slow. How were your midterms?"

"They went alright. My Biology midterm was canceled today so I'll be taking it tomorrow with my Algebra and Spanish midterm."

"Are you prepared? I was always horrible at math," Charlie mused.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready."

My phone buzzed in my backpack, which was hanging on the coat rack in the entryway. I got up and walked over to it. It was Alice.

_Tyler's tomorrow night. You in?_ –Alice

_Sure,_ I wrote.

_We need a post midterms rendezvous. _–Alice

_I agree,_ I wrote. _Who's going?_

_Everyone_. –Alice

_See you tomorrow._ –Alice

'_Night,_ I wrote.

"Who was that?" Charlie asked.

"Alice. She was asking if I wanted to hang out after school tomorrow."

"I like her," Charlie said. "Sweet girl."

"Yeah, she is sweet."

"Are you gonna hang out with her tomorrow?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"I think so."

"Don't be home too late."

"I'm always home around 8," I said.

"I know," Charlie said as he got up to wash his dish.

I said a quick goodbye before I grabbed my bag and ran up the stairs to my room. Inside, I couldn't help but compare my tiny modest bedroom to Edward's. His was so open and clean and perfect. I glanced out of my window at the view of Charlie's property and the road and trees beyond. Edward had a much better view from his balcony.

I dumped my Spanish book and notebook onto the bed before I pulled out the Sunshine Underground CD. Walking over to my cheap little stereo, I placed the disc in the compartment and hit play. The band was pretty good; upbeat and kind of grungy. There was one song in particular, _Commercial Breakdown_ that reminded me of Edward for some reason. Maybe it was how they sang about the way the media kept flipping things around to keep our minds occupied, to keep us from knowing or having to think about real issues. It reminded me of the way Edward avoided his past and the issues he probably had to deal with. The way he had always seemed sort of closed off and reserved. How he never seemed to go out of his way to interact with others. Not until recently, anyway.

I climbed onto my bed and tried to unsuccessfully study for my Spanish exam while I listened to the music. But my mind kept wondering back to Edward how different his personality was lately.

My phone buzzed again from my bedside table. It was Edward.

_Carlisle likes you._ –Edward

_He said you were very pretty._ –Edward

_Wow. That's nice of him,_ I wrote. _Silly, but nice._

_You are very pretty._ –Edward

I felt a hot blush creep up my cheeks.

_Thank you,_ I wrote.

I sighed and rolled over onto my back while I waited for him to respond to my text.

_Tyler invited some of us over to his place tomorrow. Are you going?_ –Edward

_Are you?_ I wrote.

_Not unless you are._ –Edward

_I'm going,_ I wrote.

_I'll pick you up tomorrow morning_. –Edward

_That way you won't have to drive to Tyler's after school._ –Edward

_Ok. I'll see you tomorrow morning then. :)_ I wrote.

_Goodnight, Bella._ –Edward

_Goodnight, Edward,_ I wrote.

I woke up bright and early the next morning. I rushed through my house, showering quickly, styling my hair and throwing on a thick pair of tights under my uniform skirt; I made sure to wear them because I knew I would be climbing a fence after school. I met Charlie down stairs in enough time to have a quick bowl of cereal with some orange juice.

"The Cullen's are giving me a ride to school this morning," I murmured to Charlie as I ate.

"Why?" he asked, scrutinizing me over his newspaper.

"We're all supposed to hang out after school, so I figured it would be a waste of gas if I drove myself."

"Alright," he said. "Just be careful with those two. They're pretty big boys."

I laughed as I took another bite from my cereal.

"You got your pepper stray?" he asked.

"Dad," I sighed, shaking my head.

"I want to be sure my daughter is well taken care of," he argued.

"It's not even legal to carry around that canister. Its intended for police use only," I argued back.

"Bella, no daughter of mine will be walking these street and hanging out with boys triple her size without a proper model of mace."

Charlie got up and pulled a large mace canister from an upper shelf in the kitchen and stuck it in my backpack.

"I can get in big trouble if I'm caught with that at school," I murmured as I took my bowl to the sink.

"You just have them call me if you get into any trouble," he said, zipping my backpack back up before handing it to me.

"Fine."

I herd the low honk of Edward's car as he pulled up.

"See ya," I said. I nudged Charlie's stomach as I moved towards the front door.

As I walked towards Edward's car, I noticed he was sitting alone. There was no sign of Emmett.

"Where's your brother?" I asked as I climbed in.

"He drove his Jeep today," Edward said as he pulled out of the driveway and headed towards school.

He was only wearing a black t-shirt and his hair was still wet from his morning shower.

"Running late this morning?" I gestured to his shirt.

"Kind of," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I woke up pretty late and was only able to put in a half-hour run this morning."

"Do you run every morning?"

"A few times a week," he said. "I do weight training every other day. Its all part of conditioning before the football season starts."

"What time do you have to wake up?"

"At around 5:30 or 6. It just depends on how I feel, I guess."

I nodded.

"Did you exercise yesterday? The morning you stayed at my house?" I asked in a low voice.

His eyes flickered to my face.

"No," he chuckled. "I didn't get much sleep that night."

We arrived to school ten minutes later and Edward parked beside a big black Jeep that Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were climbing out of just as the first bell rang.

"Good luck on your Algebra midterm," Edward murmured as he pulled on his collared shirt and blazer.

"Good luck in Spanish," I said to him over my shoulder.

I made my way to my first class with a bit of a skip in my walk.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Their relationship is progressing, ain't it? ;) Let me know what you think? Will he ask her to be his girlfriend? Is he falling for her too?**

**If you are interested in listening to the songs I've mentioned in this chapter, feel free to look them up on youtube.**

**_Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)_ by Journey and _Commercial Breakdown_ by The Sunshine Underground.**

**Oh, and for real this time; it might take me a couple of days to post the next chapter. So enjoy, ya'll! And don't forget to review!**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14: Rendezvous

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Rendezvous**

My Algebra midterm went as well as can be expected without a calculator. It took me double the time necessary to solve each problem and my scrap paper was completely packed with random numbers, but I felt pretty confident once the bell rang ending the exam. I made a mental note to pass by the Student's Store soon to grab a scientific calculator.

Spanish was a whole different story. I didn't spend enough time studying last night, so I was caught dumbfounded by how difficult a few of the Spanish phrases were that I had to translate. I sighed audibly a few times, mentally kicking myself for not taking this midterm seriously. The exam took a lot of guessing on my part and I couldn't help but hope that Edward was doing better than I was.

World History and English went by quickly because all we had to do was take notes or read silently to ourselves. I spent those couple of hours daydreaming about Edward and the time I had spent with him last night in his room. It was the second time we had spent some actual quality time alone together, the first being in his car the night after Emmett's party. In Edward's room, we talked and listen to music and did things that a couple of normal friends would do. Only the atmosphere around us didn't exactly feel like just friendship. I knew that my feelings for Edward were changing, growing. My obsession over his past was transforming into an obsession of his present. I knew there was something going on with him, something that was lingering behind that wall he would put up every time I mentioned his past. I could see him push whatever it was down deep into the depths of his past. But I suddenly didn't feel the need to try and dig it out of him. I had told him the truth; that I had known him once when we were young, and that was enough to quench the thirst. I didn't feel the need to dig into his past because I was suddenly sure that it would come out some time. Edward was talking to me more and he seemed to be interested in getting to know me further. Today, I was suddenly more interested in getting to know who he was today. I guess I was allowing the chips to fall where they may. I knew that eventually he would tell me his story… when he was ready.

Once lunch rolled around I was already pretty tired from the tough morning full of complicated midterms, but I followed Alice into the lunch line anyway.

"How was Spanish?" a smooth voice suddenly whispered into my ear.

I jumped and spun around to face Edward. He chuckled at the expression on my face.

"You scared me," I breathed with my hand on my chest.

"Sorry," he said with a smirk.

"Spanish went alright I guess," I said as I turned to face the front of the line. "What did you think?"

"It was hard. I didn't study enough. There were a few phrases that I didn't understand for shit, so I had to make some stuff up."

I laughed, glancing at him over my shoulder. He gazed back at me with a small smile on his lips. My eyes slid over his face, across his full lips and down his long neck. I could see his pulse thump beneath his chiseled jaw. His body was so mesmerizing; I had to literally force my eyes away from his beauty.

"This is different," I mused as I faced the front of the line again.

Alice was standing in front of me, slowly gathering food onto her tray. I studied the soft texture of an apple to keep my eyes away from Edward.

"What is?" he asked. His voice was a low purr in my ear and unintentionally seductive. I suppressed a moan.

"You standing in a lunch line."

He shrugged. "You were right. A half eaten burger isn't enough to fill me up."

I grabbed a bagel and some water while Edward filled his plate with a burger, fries and a coke. The three of us made our way over to our lunch table and Edward and I sat next to each other. Edward watched me as I prepared my bagel and then I chuckled at the longing in his eyes.

"I think you have a thing for my food," I muttered to him.

"You make everything look good," he said before he took a bite of his burger.

"How is it?" I asked as I took a small bite from my bagel.

"Not as good as when you're eating it," he murmured with a full mouth.

Edward and I spent the rest of lunch talking to Mike about our Biology exam. I even took out my notes and handed them to Mike because it was obvious he hadn't gotten any studying in. When the bell rang, the three of us tossed our trays and made our way towards our Biology class.

"I'm so fucked," Mike groaned under his breath.

Edward and I smiled at each other, secretly happy that we took that hour to study together yesterday.

Our Biology midterm was really easy, but Edward was still able to breeze through it quicker than I could. When I was finally done, I flipped my page over and turned to look at him. He was smiling down at me, obviously very pleased with himself. I spent the last twenty minutes of class making monkey faces at him, which caused us both to chuckle under our breath until Mr. Banner collected our exam sheets and let us go free. Mike stayed a little behind with a few other students who were also struggling to complete the exam.

"That wasn't so hard," I said as we walked out into the cold air.

"Thanks to you," Edward said, giving me another smile.

"I didn't help much. You were basically ready yesterday," I said.

"No, you helped a lot. My notes aren't as good as yours," he argued.

"Yeah, well my brain isn't as quick as yours."

He chuckled and leaned against the brick wall once we reached the gym.

"My Algebra exam was pretty easy today. Thanks for your help," I said.

"Sure," he mumbled.

We stood silently for a moment just looking at each other. When the bell rang, Edward pushed himself away from the wall and then leaned down towards me with his hands still shoved in his pockets. He stood there for a moment, searching my eyes. I didn't move away or even bother to resist him. I wanted him to kiss me. I watched as his lips slowly parted and I could taste the scent of him on the back of my tongue. And then he swiftly ducked down and captured my lips in his. We kissed quickly, allowing our tongues to graze roughly against each other's in a quick rhythmic pattern that felt rushed and sensual. It was a nervous kiss, an eager kiss; but it was still perfect. It didn't last very long, but it was long enough my make my head swim dizzily.

We broke apart with a small wet smack and I watched as Edward's adam's apple bobbed in his throat.

"I'll see you after class," Edward whispered, inches away from my face.

"Ok," I said as I let out a shaky breath.

Edward gave me his beautiful crooked smile before he turned to practically jog towards his next class. I watched as his green messenger bag bounced happily on his hip.

Gym was pretty boring that day. A nurse was there to give us a lecture on safe sex, so we were able to just chill out on the bleachers all period. The sex educational talk was pretty hilarious. The nurse even demonstrated how to use a condom on a pretty modest sized penis, which caused a lot of whoop's and cheers from the guys. I couldn't help but compare Edward's penis to the dildo in the nurse's hand. Edward's junk was much bigger, much longer and much thicker than the one she held. I felt myself blush furiously as I recalled the exact texture, size and color of his dick.

"What are you thinking about?" Alice murmured in my ear.

"Nothing," I said, turning way from her.

She raised her eyebrow knowingly.

"All this talk about dicks and condoms, I know your thinking something naughty," she pushed.

I giggled into my hand and nudged her away from me.

Back in the parking lot, I walked with Alice over to Edward's car. He was standing with Rosalie, Jasper and Tyler. From what I heard, Tyler and Mike were going to go get beer so we were told to wait for him by the road like last time. Edward agreed before he turned towards Jasper.

"Are you going with me or with Emmett?" Edward asked.

"Emmett," Jasper said.

Something shifted between their gaze just before Jasper turned to see me approaching.

"Hey," I said seconds before Alice threw herself into Jasper's arms.

I laughed at them before I moved to stand beside Edward.

Once everyone was in the parking lot, we all shuffled around and went towards separate cars. Edward and I were going to drive to Tyler's house alone because Angela, Emmett and Tyler had all brought separate vehicles.

I climbed into he silver Volvo and buckled myself in.

"Here," I said, handing Edward the Sunshine Underground CD.

"Did you like it?" he asked as he placed the case into the right compartment.

"Yeah, they're good," I said. "I have a few favorites so I'm pretty excited about seeing them live."

We spent the drive smoking cigarettes and talking about what to expect when we saw them in Port Angeles. Edward talked about his favorite songs on the album and other indie bands that reminded him of them. We were the first to arrive at Tyler's house so we sat in the car and talked about random things.

Edward was still interested to know more about me and he kept the questions coming. He asked about what kinds of flowers I liked, which were Daffodil's, and what my favorite color was. He even asked what my favorite gemstone was and I embarrassed myself by blurting out that I loved Jade, though he didn't seem to realize that I was referring to the color of his eyes. He asked about what I missed most from Arizona and what souvenir I held closest to me. I told him it was the necklace my grandmother had given me before she died.

That created a whole new list of questions about my family, my grandmother and my relationship with her. I tried my best to answer his questions as truthfully as I could, but I kept getting distracted by his eyes or by the way his fingers felt against my skin when he would tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.

"What about you?" I asked. "Do you still speak to any of your grandparents?"

"I see Carlisle's parents a lot," he said with a frown. "Their nice and we get a long really well. They live in London actually and they visit from time to time."

"Wow," I murmured. "I didn't know Carlisle was English. He sounds pretty American to me."

"He was born in London, England, but his parents moved him to California when he was like two or something. His parents didn't move back to London until just a few years ago."

"That's cool," I said. "I've never been to London but I've always wanted to go."

Edward nodded, letting the topic drop.

"Did you ever play any instruments growing up or take any art classes?" Edward asked, successfully turning the subject back to me.

I answered his questions until I heard the rumble of Emmett's jeep down the street. Edward and I climbed out of his car and met our friends at the curb.

Tyler showed up a few minutes later and then he told us that his parents wouldn't be home until late tonight because they had some business dinner that they were stuck at. I sighed, happy that I wouldn't have to jump the stupid fence after all.

As a group, we all followed Tyler through his front door and into his house before reaching the back door, which led to his large backyard. His house was similar to Alice's. It was small and modest, but clean, warm and very cozy. Outside in the backyard, I finally got the chance to look around. The last time I had been there, we all had stayed in the woods before reaching the garage. The only time I was actually able to see his backyard was when Edward and I had that cigarette alone in the dark. But today, my eyes were free to roam over every surface. There was a small basketball court with a broken hoop where the basket should be and the cement was uneven and cracked. There was an area of an overgrown lawn, which lead into the woods. It seemed kind of creepy to me, how open and unprotected his backyard was and I momentarily wondered if the Crowley's ever got any visitors from unwanted animals that lurked in the dark.

Once we got to the garage, we all huddled in the darkness of the small room while Tyler searched for the lamp. It took him longer this time, which made everyone giggle as we waited. But I wasn't giggling or even paying attention to those who stood close around me. The only thing I was hyperaware of was Edward when he moved to stand beside me, and the way his hand felt as it brushed against mine. The unexpected electricity that radiated from his body and his close proximity completely stunned me. The sensation reminded me of the way it felt to sit beside him when we had to watch that stupid movie in Biology. It took all of my willpower not to reach out and grasp his long fingers. It almost seemed as if his body was purposefully teasing me, tempting the feral instincts within me to react. I had this crazy impulse to pounce on him and lick his face. Eventually, we heard the click of the lamp in the corner, and the entire garage was suddenly illuminated by a soft warm glow.

I glanced up at Edward and saw that he was watching me. I offered him a sheepish smile, which he returned with a wide grin. His eyes were smoldering even in the dim light and the hunger I felt was mirrored in his eyes. I bit my lip and looked away.

I approached Tyler and took the first canned beer he pulled out of the box. I popped the top and took a long swig, trying my best to avoid Edward's gaze. I didn't know what the hell was going on with me, but my hormones were suddenly going haywire. My heart was set at a steady, but quick rhythm and I could feel a rush of heat in my underwear. I wanted nothing more than to yank Edward into the bathroom and fuck his brains out. And I didn't even know _how_ to fuck his brains out.

I shook my head, equally surprised and annoyed by my wild thoughts. It was totally out of character for me to react this way. I didn't understand the longing I felt in my chest and in my skirt. I wanted Edward in any way that he would have me. The sensation was so confusing and so foreign to me.

"Let's go play some ball," Tyler said to Edward and Mike as he retrieved a football from a nearby crate.

My eyes lingered on Edward while he shrugged doff his blazer before following Tyler and Mike out of the garage. I stood there for a moment, trying to think of an excuse to follow the boys out into the backyard.

"Let's go have a cigarette," Rosalie suddenly said from beside me.

I glanced at her and saw that she was pulling a couple of cigarettes out of the pack of Camel Lights clutched in her small fist.

"Sure," I said, and then I followed her out of the door.

Outside I watched as Edward, Mike and Tyler stood many yards apart while tossing a football back and forth. I watched the way Edward held himself when he threw or caught the ball. His body was glorious and every so often I felt a tingle run up my thighs whenever I caught a glimpse of flesh peak out beneath his shirt.

As Rosalie and I stood, drinking our beers and smoking cigarettes into the cold evening air, there was a few times when I caught Edward watching me. His eyes would flicker to mine as I released a puff of white smoke or took a sip of my beer. It felt good to catch him watching me, but I wanted more. I wanted him to talk to me and kiss me and touch me. I wanted him so bad it was ridiculous.

Time seemed to slip by and the sun was already starting to die.

"Check this out!" Mike suddenly called from the woods. It was a few minutes after he disappeared behind the trees when Edward had thrown the ball too hard.

Mike walked back into the backyard carrying an old beat up skateboard. I watched as Edward and Tyler approached him, arguing over who should use it first. Edward was eventually handed the skateboard and I watched as he stepped onto it before kicking off towards the uneven cement path. He tried to do a kick flip a couple of times, but failed. I pushed off of the garage door and made my way over to Edward, eager to get a closer look.

"You skate?" I asked in a small voice.

Edward glanced up at me, and his liquid green eyes were penetrating.

"I used to," he said as he tried to do a kick flip for the fifth time.

He was light on his feet; I could see it in how high he could jump. He was poised and moved with a kind of grace that reflected his athleticism. I watched as he skated up and down the uneven cement court and tried over and over to land tricks. Some he caught and some he didn't. Sometimes he would fall and every time he landed on his ass, he would roll onto his back and kick his feet into a reverse somersault seconds before releasing a thundering laugh. His laugh was deep; the sound was like the base of bell, which echoed off of the trees around us.

The rest of the evening went by very quickly and soon the rest of the boys came out to play, so Edward remained preoccupied until we were finally ready to head home.

We all walked through Tyler's house and back to the cars. I was eager to say goodbye to everyone so that I could finally be alone with Edward, but was immediately deflated when Alice approached and asked him for a ride home. Apparently Angela was going to go over to Eric's house for a bit so she needed a ride, as did Mike. I groaned quietly to myself when I realized I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Edward alone.

I climbed into the back seat of the Volvo with Alice while Mike took the front. Edward dropped Mike off first and then me second. When he pulled up to Charlie's house, I had to restrain myself from sucking his lips into my mouth.

"Thanks for the ride," I said. I tried my best to keep the disappointment out of my tone.

"Sure," Edward said. His eyes were gentle, but he seemed to look just as annoyed as I felt.

I wasn't necessarily uncomfortable about kissing him in front of Alice, but at the same time, I liked that whatever it was that was growing between Edward and I was kept discreet. It was kind of personal to me, so I didn't try to kiss him goodbye. Instead I called a soft farewell before climbing out of his Volvo.

Alice followed me out of the car before jumping into the front seat. I gave them a small wave and then walked pathetically towards Charlie's front door.

Edward didn't text me that night.

The end of March and beginning over April came and went. Edward and I hadn't seen each other much over the next few days. We only saw each other at school so we weren't really able to talk or be alone. The only time we actually had some interaction was when we sat together during lunch or when he walked me to Gym after Biology. And he kissed me almost everyday, right outside of the girl's locker room after the first bell rang. Everyday, Edward would walk me to the gym and then he would swoop down and kiss me firmly and eagerly before he said goodbye for the day. But he never used his hands. His hands always stayed deep in his pockets, restricting him from touching me. I didn't really understand what was going on with us, but I didn't push the subject either. We were having fun with each other, but we never really embraced or touched each other too much, especially when we were _alone_. Sometimes Edward would drape his arm around me, or whisper in my ear in public, but that was as close to affectionate as we would get in front of our friends. I was fine with that, but at the same time I began to wonder if Edward wanted something more.

My feelings for him were steadily increasing and I was longing for his touch. Just one quick kiss before Gym was easily becoming not enough for me. And it added to the fact that he never really touched me when we were alone. It was as if he didn't trust his hands around me or something. But I wanted more. A whole lot more, and I was scared because I didn't really understand what that meant. Edward knew me better now. He knew about my family, about my life in Phoenix, my lack of personal relationships and lack of sexual experiences. He knew enough to not push anything on me, sexually, but I began to wonder if maybe I wanted him to push me. I wanted him to instigate a physical interaction.

By Friday, I was totally and completely sexually frustrated. I hadn't felt his hands on me since Monday after school when we kissed on his bed and so I was desperate for him to touch me, or to anything me. It wasn't until after Biology when he walked me to the gym when he finally used his hands when he kissed me.

I was so stunned by his actions that I wasn't able to respond properly. The moment his hands fisted into my hair when he kissed me, I gasped and clung to his body like a starving child. My reaction was something that neither one of us was prepared for. The force of my body smacking against his caused us to stumble and crash into the brick wall of the gym. I let out a small groan of pain when my shoulder hit the hard surface, but I didn't release my grip on Edward's mouth or his blazer. His fingers tightened in my hair as his tongue slid forcefully into my mouth and after many minutes of moaning and sucking and fingers painfully gripping hair and articles of clothing, we pulled away.

We stared at each other for a moment, gasping for air, until the tardy bell rang. But I didn't move away from him. I didn't even give a shit about being late. Being in Edward's arms after four days of not really touching was like offering a drug addict the finest most potent brand of heroin. I was desperate for a fix, for a taste of Edward on my tongue and against my body.

"Do you want to come over tonight?" he asked in a deep, husky voice.

I racked my brain. I didn't want to have to explain to Charlie that I had been at a boys house, but I would skip up on a night alone with Edward.

"Yes," I breathed in a shaky voice. "Tonight."

"I'll meet you at your house after school," Edward murmured before he leaned down and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth.

I moaned softly against him, savoring the way his thumbs felt as the grazed against my jaw and down my neck before he pulled away.

"Let's go right now," I said. My eyes were still closed and my head was swimming deliciously with lust.

"You want to ditch?" Edward asked in a husky voice. He almost sounded concerned.

I opened my eyes and was glad to see that the expression on his face wasn't as convincing as his voice. He looked as desperate as I felt.

"Its healthy to ditch once in a while." I repeated his words back to him.

Edward stared at me for a moment. I could see the battle in his eyes. He wanted to leave with me, but maybe he was felt guilty about letting me ditch? Either way, the lust he felt won over rationality and he kissed roughly a few more times before he gripped my hand and pulled me towards the parking lot.

I followed as closely beside him as possible with my head down. I was so nervous that someone would see us, but I was also desperately eager to be alone with him. When we entered the parking lot, Edward let go of my hand and I practically ran to my truck. I yanked the door opened the door, climbed in and shivered aggressively when my bare thighs hit the leather seat. I didn't wear tights today, only my skirt and yoga shorts. I didn't even have my door closed before I turned the key in the ignition and drove home as quickly as my truck would allow me.

Once I pulled into Charlie's driveway, I jumped out of the truck and moved swiftly towards Edward's Volvo, which sat idling the moment I had put my truck into park. We were quiet as we drove back to his house. We didn't speak or even look at each other, but I didn't really mind. The adrenaline coursing through my body was enough to occupy my thoughts. I was eager and excited to get back to Edward's house, and be alone with him in his room. I didn't know what would happen the moment we got there, but I also knew that I didn't really want to plan anything either. I just wanted to do whatever felt natural to me.

Edward parked in front of his garage and we both climbed out of his car. We were silent all the way up to his house and even as we hastily climbed the staircase to his room. It wasn't until I took my first step into his bedroom that Edward spun me around. His mouth was instantly on mine, hot and wet and eager. His tongue forced its way between my lips just as his hands reached down, grasping my ass firmly in his hands before pulling me up so that I straddled his waist. I felt him move, walking us towards his bed. I took the opportunity to push his beanie off of his head and fist my hands into his thick hair. I could smell his shampoo and the scent drove me wild. He crawled onto his bed with me still in his arms and as he bent over, I slid down his waist onto his lap. A loud whimper crawled its way out of my throat the moment my crotch made contact with his. I could feel his hard erection against me and the sensation was amazing. I jerked my hips against him involuntarily, seeking friction. Edward leaned back on his heels and pulled my hips roughly and purposefully against his hard cock, which cause a deep husky moan to roll of his tongue. From the way I straddled his lap, he forced my crotch to move against him in a way that sent a wave of pleasure through my body.

I pulled my mouth away from his, and gasped for air. My shaky hands moved on their own accord as I tried to force his blazer off of his shoulders and pull the buttons on his shirt open. Edward caught on immediately and yanked his jacket off before pulling his collared shirt, along with his undershirt, over his head. His full, muscular chest glowed Godlike in the dying sunlight that streamed through the opened drapes in his room. He was dazzling, bathed in rays of orange and yellow and gold. I let my shaky fingers flutter softly along his long neck, over his round shoulders and then down his perfect pecks.

His lips, coated with my saliva, glittered like diamonds in the dying light and his eyes glowed an eerie, smoldering green as he gazed back at me.

Edward's hands moved slower now as pulled my blazer open and slid it slowly down my arms. And when his fingers began popping the buttons of my collared shirt open, my heart began to drum even harder in my chest. I felt my body tremble beneath his touch. And when my shirt was finally pulled open, his hands were hot and smooth as he let my shirt slip slowly down my arms. He didn't undress me further than that, but it wasn't enough for me. I wanted his hands on every part of my naked flesh.

I didn't know where this new found bravery came from but I was ready to be with Edward. I wanted his body and I wanted to give him mine.

With trembling hands I reached up behind my back and unfastened my bra. I watched Edward's face as I slowly pulled the thin black fabric away from my body. His eyes took me in hungrily and I watched as his tongue darted out to lick his lips. I glanced down at my bare chest, curious to see what he was seeing. My nipples were hard and stood bright pink, practically glowing in the bit of sunlight that streaked across my bare chest.

Edward right hand slid steadily up my ribcage before his thumb stroked gingerly along the bottom curve of my left breast. My breath hitched and my skin instantly broke out in goose bumps.

Edward's gaze met mine, and I watched as he quickly searched my face. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but there must have been something in my eyes that caused him to lower his hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked in trembling whisper.

"Bella," he whispered back. His voice was like silk, though it was thick with lust. "We don't have to do this if you're not ready."

"I want to," I said. My voice was a little more forceful than necessary.

Edward gazed at me for a moment before he leaned forward, and kissed me. His kiss was hungry again and his tongue plunged its way into my mouth. I moaned softly when his hands slid behind my back to rub against my shoulder blades before fisting them into my long hair. After winding his long fingers into my thick locks, he pulled my head back and his mouth immediately dipped to suck a path of wet kisses down my neck and collarbone. My mind was in a daze as Edward slowly lowered me onto my back before he continued to run his wet mouth along my flesh. Once I was placed firmly on my back, his hot wet tongue darted out to flick my left nipple. I let out a soft screech before his full lips wrapped themselves around the supple mound. The sensation was nothing I had every felt before. Shivers ran down my spine and a sharp tingling shot through my clit as I knotted my fingers in his hair.

After sucking my other nipple into his mouth, Edward continued his torture by kissing a path down between my breasts, over my ribcage, down my trembling stomach until he sucked hard against my hip. I groaned loudly in pain and pleasure before he released my skin and sat up to pull my boots and knee-high socks off of my feet. As Edward worked, my eyes flickered to my hip where his mouth was moments ago. I could already see a dark purple and red blemish appear beneath the moisture of his saliva on my light skin.

Once my feet were free, Edward's hands slid up my thighs and under my skirt. Once his fingers slid into the waistband of my shorts, his hands paused. He was watching me, waiting for permission. I nodded slowly, granting him access to the most exclusive part of my body.

In one smooth move, Edward pulled my shorts, along with my wet panties down my legs and off of my feet. I kept my knees closed, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, but Edward's eyes drank in the exposed flesh and bit of pubic hair that peaked out beneath the bottom hem of my skirt.

"Relax Bella," Edward said in a voice like honey as he ran his warm hands along my bare thighs.

My body trembled excitedly from his touch before I slowly let my legs fall open in front of him. I felt my face heat up the moment I was exposed. I had never let anyone other than a doctor or myself see this part of me before.

I watched Edward's face and saw his pupils dilate as he took in my wet and exposed flesh. And then it was as if his cool and collected demeanor shattered around him. His hand suddenly slid forcefully up my thigh where he ran the pads of his fingers roughly along my wet folds. I cried out immediately, the moment his fingers brushed against my swollen clit. And then it was a hungry tug of war between us. His lips crashed down onto mine and my hands fisted themselves into his hair. I cried out again when one of Edward's fingers dipped into my wetness, scooping up my arousal to rub it against my clit. Instantly, my body caught fire and I wanted nothing more than to have him naked against me. But when my fingers began to tug clumsily on the button of his pants, Edward's free hand gently pushed mine away.

"What is it?" I whimpered in a shaky voice.

"Not today, Bella," Edward murmured against my lips. His voice was just as weak as mine.

But I wasn't having that. I tried to pull at his pants again, but once I got the button open Edward pushed my hands more forcefully away. He gripped my wrists and forced both of my arms around his neck.

"Relax," he groaned against my mouth.

And then he shoved a finger deep into me. One finger was enough. My head dropped to the soft pillow beneath me and I let out a low catlike moan from deep in the pit of my stomach. He stroked me slowly at first, loosening me up and spreading my arousal all over me while his hot lips sucked and licked hungrily over my neck. He was heavy and warm above me. My hands raked along his back and arms, feeling his back flex beneath my fingers and his biceps bulge as he balanced over me on his left arm.

"Oh my God," I breathed as I shifted my hips to take his finger in deeper.

Edward added a second finger and began to pick up the pace. The thrusts of his fingers in me were met with the circular motion of his thumb on my clit; and all too soon, my body began to quake beneath him. I gasped loudly, trying to force air into my lungs as a spring in my abdomen began to wind so tightly, preparing to explode. But Edward didn't let me come easily. I felt him shift over me, positioning himself so that he could snake his free arm beneath my waist. He gripped me firmly against his body, keeping me still and steady, as his fingers plunged remarkably fast into my pussy. I could feel my wetness seep out onto my ass and inner thighs and the sucking sounds of his fingers gliding in and out of me forced me further towards my orgasm. My climax was building so strong that I was almost afraid I might suddenly combust.

"I'm there," I tried to say, but instead I let out a wild scream of pleasure the moment I came.

The spring in my abdomen snapped, and I felt my cum explode onto Edward's hand. But he took his time, steadily thrusting his finger into me, taking everything I had to give before his pumping fingers began to slow. He left them within me for a moment, feeling me contract and pulse around him until he finally pulled his slippery, wet fingers out of me.

"You look so fucking hot when you come," Edward murmured huskily against my lips.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his words. My body was still trembling, and my mind was dazed with euphoria. But through the haze, I was still insanely aware of Edward and his prominent erection that was poking me hard underneath my thigh.

Edward shifted, relaxing his head into the crook of my neck. I turned my head towards him, inhaling his delicious sent into my lungs.

"Let me help you now," I whispered into his ear.

Slowly, I let my hand slid from his waist, down to his hard dick. Edward didn't stop me as I slowly slid his zipper down before I reached a shaky hand into his pants. I could feel him hard and hot over his boxer briefs. Just as I gripped him through his underwear, I dipped my face down and sucked softly on his neck and earlobe. He immediately reacted to my touch and I felt him shiver above me. With little effort, I pushed him onto his back and straddled his thighs. I didn't even care that my naked wetness was seeping onto his school pants.

I didn't say anything to him as I gripped the waistband of his pants and boxers before pulling them down his firm hips.

Edward shifted below me, easily lifting his hips, as well as myself, off of the bed so that I could pull his pants down to his thighs. His body was fucking perfect. Too perfect to be human. My eyes traveled over his hooded eyes and opened mouth, down his neck, over the many ripples of muscle on his abdomen and down the hard v-shaped muscle of his pelvis. He had two moles just below his bellybutton, and his pelvis was very lightly sprinkled with soft brown hair, but it soon gathered into a smooth mound just above his hard dick. My memory of this particular part of him didn't do him justice. He was bigger than I remembered and his dick was much more intimidating.

"Is this ok?" He asked in a voice like velvet.

I met his gaze. I could see the tiniest hint of a blush on his cheeks. He almost looked embarrassed, but the hunger in his eyes hid it well.

I nodded. I wanted to do this for him.

With tentative fingers, I traced the thick vein from the base of his cock to the tip before I wrapped my hand firmly around him. As I worked, I tried my best to recall just what Edward had done that night in my room. I gathered the clear, slick precum from the head of his penis into my hand and used it as a lubricant as I began to pump him from base to tip. I had to use two hands as I worked and I made sure to continue to gather the flow of precum that continuously dripped from the slit on the head every time I gave his dick a firm stroke upward.

Watching Edward as I jerked him off was one of the sexiest experiences in my life. I watched as his stomached clenched each time I gave his dick a firm stroke and I whimpered every time he released a thick moan of pleasure. By the time he finally came, my arms had grown weak with exertion. I had to use most of my upper body to continue to pump him, and the movement caused him rock and bounce softly up and down on his bed. Seconds before he came, his eyes clenched shut and his hands gripped by bare thighs painfully into his fists.

"Bella I'm gonna come," he heaved as a shudder ran through his body.

His muscles flexed just as his hot seed shot out in several quick spurts onto his bare torso, coating my hand and his stomach in hot thick white liquid.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry, I've been so busy this week, but now I have the weekend to edit and publish. This will be the last lemon for a little while. There is more development of their 'relationship,' as well as themselves as characters, on its way.**

**Again, I'd like to thank **_**Jennifer Marie, Susan, Hannah**_**, and **_**Kayla**_** for leaving reviews! You ladies are guests so I cannot write you personal 'thank you's, but I'm leaving them here for you! :D Stay with me, girls!**

**As for the rest of my Story Lurkers, Story Favorite'rs, and Story Followers, stay with me and keep reading, and do try to send me a review if you can. :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15: Barbara's Diner

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Barbara's Diner**

I was lying there on my tummy beside Edward, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. His arm was thrown over his eyes, and I momentarily wondered if he was maybe asleep. My eyes flickered over his light skin to the cluster of shapes tattooed on his left shoulder. It was definitely a map of some sort. His tattoo was a large perfect circle covering his entire shoulder. And inside of the circle was the obvious patchwork of a map. There were a few thicker lines that I assumed represented a particular route, and where one of the thick lines intersected another, there was a small red square drawn over it. Beneath the circular shape of the tattoo were coordinates to a location written in fine black numbers.

With a tentative hand, I reached out and stroked my thumb along the black ink. The detail was amazingly perfect.

Edward jumped at my touch and turned to look at me. He stared at me for a moment, but didn't move away. I wanted to ask him what the tattoo meant, but at the same time, I was afraid to know. This particular location meant something to him. That was obvious.

"What time is it?" I mumbled against my arm, which sat cradling my head beneath me.

Edward sat up a few inches to check the alarm clock on his bedside table.

"3:55," he said.

"Its still early," I mused.

Edward smiled at me before he sat up. I watched him over my shoulder. He stood up and walked over to a nearby dresser. He quickly removed his tan pants and pulled on a pair of black basketball shorts and a white t-shirt.

I sat up slowly, using my arm to cover my breasts. I climbed off the bed and reached for my underwear and collard shirt.

"Um, can I use your bathroom?" I asked as I modestly hid behind a few articles of clothing.

"Sure," Edward said. He watched me with a small smile on his lips as I made my way over to his bathroom.

"Do you want to borrow a shirt or something?" he asked before he pulled out a second white t-shirt that matched the one he was wearing.

I nodded and took the t-shirt from him before walking into the bathroom.

His bathroom was fairly clean and smelled like a guy. There were some shorts and a pair of running shoes in the corner, as well as a razor, some Old Spice deodorant, and other various toiletries that littered the sink. I put my things down on the toilet before turning on the faucet to wash my hands. I wanted to wash my private parts and once I realized how sticky I was down there, I decided I'd rather take a quick shower. There were two white towels in the bathroom and one looked to be completely untouched.

I hastily turned on the shower and stripped my skirt off before pulling my hair up into a bun. There was nothing to keep my hair up except a blue pen, which sat in a top drawer of the sink. I climbed into the large tub and began to quickly rinse my body down. His shower and bathtub combo was very nice and elegant. And the shower curtain was almost completely see-through. I couldn't help but glance around at the white net body sponge, his shampoo and conditioner combo and the Old Spice body wash. There was even a tiny mirror, which hung below the shower nozzle and I assumed it was for when he shaved in the shower. His tub was very clean, not a stray hair in sight. I smiled to myself, happy to see that Edward was a fairly clean boy. I used only a little bit of his body wash on my hand to scrub down before I turned the water off and quickly dried my body.

I replaced my underwear, my skirt and bra before pulling Edward's t-shirt over my head. It was very big on me, but comfortable. And it smelled just like him.

Once I was finished, I timidly stepped out of the bathroom. Edward had an Al Green record on and he was sitting crossed legged on his bed with a few books spread out in front of him.

His eyes flickered over me as I walked towards the edge of his bed. His eyes were drinking me in. They ran up my bare legs and over his t-shirt, which hung loosely on my body, and finally to my eyes.

I ran my hand nervously through my hair.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Waiting for you," he murmured.

"I took a shower," I said, even though I knew he already knew.

"I heard," Edward nodded with a smirk. "How was it?"

"Nice," I said as crawled onto the bed in front of him. "But I smell like a guy now."

I held out my wrist for him to smell. Edward chuckled before he leaned forward and rubbed his nose softly against the inside of my wrist. I felt a flutter run through my stomach at the sensation.

"It smells better on you," he said with a smile.

I laughed as I moved to sit next to him.

"Al Green, huh?" I asked as I made myself comfortable on his down pillows.

"I thought it was appropriate," he said with a shrug.

I turned to look at him, and the wings in my tummy began to flap much more excitedly. Edward's eyes were on me as he leaned in close.

"It always ends up this way, me begging you every day," he sang in a whisper. His face was inches from mine. "A love that I cannot have, you broke my heart into half…"

"Our love is you and me baby, that make's the world go round," I sang with him. I kept my voice low. I didn't want to spoil the sound of his voice with my own.

"And if you've been doin' lovin' with me, layin' all my troubles down," he continued.

"Here I am baby," I sang softly as I watched Edward sit up and shove his books into his bag.

I sat quietly, watching him move around and listening as he sang softly to himself. His voice was beautiful. It was smooth and deep and he sang with a kind of goofy twang that reminded me of Van Morrison or an old blues singer. It was perfect.

Edward placed his messenger bag on his couch before he walked back over to me. This time he sat facing me with a very confident smile on his lips. I crossed my arms in front of me, suddenly feeling very nervous beneath his gaze.

"So when are we gonna go out?" he asked. His smile grew into a toothy grin.

"Um…" I had no words.

"It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow," Edward said. "I can take you out to dinner. There's a place in Port Angeles I think you'd like. It's small and modest, but really cute… Kind of like you."

I blushed and dropped my gaze to my fumbling fingers.

"Yeah," I said. "That sounds nice."

Edward nodded. His eyes were on my hands, watching as I picked at my broken nail.

"Do I make you nervous?" he asked in a voice like velvet. I could see the bit of smugness in his face.

"No," I lied.

He tilted his head to one side as he scrutinized my face. His expression was curious.

"Then why are you blushing?" he asked as he placed his warm hand against my cheek.

His hand was large and soft and I felt myself melt against his thumb as it gently traced down my cheekbone and then over my bottom lip.

I sighed and wrapped my hand around his wrist.

"Are you hungry?" he asked after a moment of sitting in silence.

"Kinda," I answered honestly.

Edward gripped my hand in his and pulled me from the bed. I followed him down the stairs and into the kitchen. The tiles on the floor were ice cold against my feet and I was suddenly aware that his parents could be home at any time.

"What time do your parents get home?" I asked.

Edward was already rummaging through the cabinets.

"Uh…" he said as he glanced at the time on the stove. "My mom usually gets home at around 4:30 and Emmett's already out of school."

He glanced at me over his shoulder.

"Are you uncomfortable?" he asked.

"I kind of don't want to be wearing your shirt when your mom get's home," I answered honestly. "Won't that look bad?"

Edward shrugged, his eyes still on me.

"I'm gonna go change," I said. "I'll be right back."

I turned and ran quickly up the stairs. I replaced Edward's shirt with my own and pulled on my yoga shorts, socks and boots before climbing back down stairs.

Edward chuckled when he saw me.

"You look like you're ready to leave," he murmured. He was in the middle of preparing two bowls of cereal.

"No," I said. "I just want to look presentable… just in case."

I climbed onto the stool that stood in front of the island that Edward was working on. Once he was done adding milk to the bowls, he sat mine down in front of me.

"Thanks," I murmured as I took the spoon from Edward's hand.

"Want something to drink?" he asked as he opened the refrigerator.

"No thanks," I said.

We ate in silence, both of us savoring the sweet Lucky Charms. I caught myself concentrating as I fished out the charms one by one. I ate the shooting star first, and then the rainbow and clover. I loved this cereal; it was fairly simple with the fake marshmallows mixed in with cheerios, but it still tasted exquisite. I ate the entire thing within minutes.

"Damn that was good," I sighed as I started slurping up the sugary milk.

Edward chuckled softly as he tilted the bowl on his lips.

Just as I placed my bowl down the front door opened. I jumped and peaked over my shoulder. A woman walked in and I could only assume it was Esme. She was slender, but curvy with medium length caramel-colored wavy hair. Her head turned towards us and I saw a wide smile spread across her heart-shaped face.

I got up from my stool as she approached.

"Hello," she said in a warm, inviting voice.

I smiled back at her. She was very beautiful with light brown eyes that looked almost exactly like Emmett's.

"Mom, this is Bella," Edward said from behind me.

"Its nice to meet you," I said as I held a hand out for her to shake.

"Its nice to meet you too Bella. I'm Esme," she said in a soft musical voice. "You're Chief Swan's daughter, right?"

She was taller than me, especially in her heals. She wore a light grew tailored dress with a brown belt around her waist. She looked amazing and very well put together. I tugged on the bottom of my skirt involuntarily.

"Yes, Charlie's my dad," I said with a giggle.

"I remember when he mentioned that you would be coming to live with him in Forks. How do you like it so far?" she asked as she turned to place her bags on the counter.

"Its nice," I said. "It's very different from Arizona, but still beautiful. I used to live here when I was younger."

"Yes, I remember. Charlie talks about you all the time. Especially when he found out that you'd be moving back."

I laughed and turned to glance at Edward.

He was watching our exchange looking slightly bored.

"Oh," Esme said, catching the look on Edward's face. "I didn't mean to interrupt. If you have homework to do, go ahead and busy yourselves. I'll be in and out."

Esme gave me her big smile before she turned towards the den that sat just off of the living room.

Edward gestured with his head for me to follow him upstairs. Once we were back in his room I watched as he changed the record to something a little more contemporary. He turned off the record player and pulled out a CD from the bookshelf.

"Do you like the Black Keys?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. I moved towards his bookcase to analyze the many CD's and records.

"Esme seems nice," I said.

"Yeah, she is," he murmured.

We were quiet for a moment before I turned to glance at him over my shoulder.

Edward was frowning as he watched me and I saw that he was rubbing circles into he palm of his hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Edward shook his head.

I moved toward him and gently nudged his firm tummy.

"I just… can't believe I don't remember you," he murmured as he dropped his gaze. His eyes looked pained.

"Its ok," I said.

He muttered something incoherent as he turned towards his leather couch. "I just wish I could remember."

I sat on the couch beside him, silently waiting for him to continue.

"You didn't ask me about my tattoo," he said. He was still rubbing circles into his palm.

"I know," I answered. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"It's the coordinates to a specific place in Seattle," he said in a low voice. "Its where my parents were killed."

I gasped.

Edward turned and looked at me. I searched his face for a moment and was surprised to see how calm and collected he looked. There was no pain, no anger, no emotion at all. It was as if he was repeating a statement about a boring piece of information.

I frowned, realizing that this was his way to cope with his loss. He was disconnecting himself emotionally.

"What happened?" I asked in a small voice.

"We were driving to a business meeting in Seattle that my father had to go to. I don't know why he dragged my mom and I along with him, the meeting was only supposed to last for a few hours. When we exited the freeway, a guy took a wrong turn and sped up the off ramp and smashed headfirst into our car. They were killed instantly. I found out later that the guy who hit us was driving totally drunk. He went to prison for manslaughter."

His tone seemed disengaged from the conversation, like it wasn't really him speaking. Again it seamed as if he was repeating something he had heard. He seemed emotionless and it worried me. I felt the tears drip from my eyes, but I hastily brushed them away.

"You were with them?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice as even as possible.

"Yeah, and I walked away from the accident without even a scratch on me. The accident must have happened after you left because I don't remember much of my life before that day," he continued. "I remember my mother's face. I remember my father. I remember the sounds of their voices, but I can't recall any conversations or even what our house looked like. The only memories I have of them are the minor details that lingered with me or a fleeting glimpse of an unknown feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see the evidence of a particular day in old photograph."

He sighed and ran his hand roughly through his hair.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this," he murmured with a lifeless chuckle.

I wanted to comfort him and tell him how sorry I was for the loss of his parents, but I knew that wouldn't help at all. And to top it off, I was so stunned from the fact that he was actually opening up to me.

"I have a picture of us from when we were kids," I said in a low voice. "Its in a jewelry box I keep under my bed. The picture is buried right under my grandmother's necklace."

Edward's eyes were on me again and it was the first time I saw the momentary glimpse of the pain he felt. But it was gone just as quickly as it had come.

"I should take you home," Edward said as he got up from the couch. I watched as he grabbed his keys from his messenger bag before he headed towards his door.

Without thinking, I got up and threw my arms around his waist. I pressed my face in between his shoulder blades and hugged him tightly against my chest. I didn't know how to comfort him, but I knew he was hurting even if he didn't want to show it. And I wanted him to know that it was ok to open up and talk about these things with me. After a minute, I heard him sigh heavily before he rubbed his hand over mine, which sat tightly on his stomach.

"I'm glad you told me," I murmured into his t-shirt.

I kissed him twice, once on each shoulder blade before I released him.

Edward drove me home in silence, and he didn't even bother to turn on the radio. I felt so sad about what had happened to him, and I tried my best to come up with something nice to say, but all I could think about was Elizabeth's face. I had to force the tears back because I knew that Edward would not appreciate a crying fest at the moment.

When we got to Charlie's it was only 6 o'clock, so he wasn't home yet.

"Do you want to come up?" I asked as I studied my hands on my lap. "I could show you the picture."

Edward was quiet for a minute before he finally agreed. He parked in his usual spot, a few houses away from mine, before we climbed out and headed towards Charlie's. In my room, I got on my knees and pulled out my jewelry box. Edward was sitting patiently on my bed, waiting for me to retrieve the picture. I took my seat beside him before opening the box and pulling out the small picture.

Edward stared at it for a moment before he finally took it from my hand. I couldn't help but watch his face, waiting some kind of reaction. And to my surprise, he smiled. It was a happy smile too.

"Wow," he said in low voice.

I giggled and looked at our chocolate covered faces in the photograph.

Edward sighed and then slowly lowered himself onto my bed so that he could lay on his back with his eyes closed.

"I wish I could remember," he said in a low voice.

I smiled and lay down beside him. We were quiet for a moment before he shifted beside me, sliding an arm beneath my head so that he could pull me into his side. I curled into him, cuddling my face into his chest and wrapping an arm over his waist. We didn't speak, but we didn't have to. It was comforting to just lay there with each other. I gently rubbed my palm over his chest and listened as Edward sighed softly around me. I could tell that I was comforting him in a way that words wouldn't be able to. Sometimes Edward would raise the photograph to his eyes so that he could gaze at the image, but he never said anything. And neither did I. Instead, I lay quietly, listening to the smooth rhythm of his heart.

I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I heard the soft knock on my bedroom door. I opened my eyes feeling disoriented when Charlie suddenly pushed my door open.

"Bells?" he called into my dark room.

"Dad?" I asked feeling started. I glanced around me, but Edward was nowhere in sight.

"Hey," he said, looking sheepish. "Sorry if I scared you. I just wanted you to know I was home."

"Oh. Ok."

"Goodnight," he said before he closed the door tightly behind him.

I sat quietly, listening as Charlie's heavy feet descended the stairs.

And then there was a low creek from my closet. I jumped when I heard the sound, but relaxed immediately when I saw Edward step out from behind the door. He was holding his shoes in his hands.

"That was close," he said in a whisper.

I watched as he crossed the room to lock my bedroom door before placing his shoes down beside my bed. I moved aside so that he could climb under my blankets beside me.

"What time is it?" I asked. My voice was thick with sleep.

"9," Edward said. "Charlie got home late."

I nodded and climbed out of the bed to remove my collared shirt and skirt. Edward watched me with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

I glanced at him over my shoulder.

"Just getting comfortable," I whispered. "Relax."

"I am relaxed," he chuckled softly.

I walked quickly over to my dresser and pulled on a t-shirt and shorts before climbing back into bed.

Edward turned onto his side to face me. It was very dark in my room, but the soft glow from the hanging lights around my window allowed me to make out Edward's perfect face.

He stared at me for a moment before inching forward and brushing his nose against mine. I sighed from the sensation and tilted my chin up so that he could kiss me. His kiss was soft and slow. He pulled me into his arms and we stayed, wrapped tightly together for the next few hours.

At around 2 in the morning, Edward woke me up and told me it was time for him to go. I watched as he carefully climbed out of my window and jogged back to his car. After I crawled back into bed I could still smell his scent clinging to my skin, my hair and my pillows. I slept soundlessly that night.

The next day, at around noon, Edward texted me telling me he would pick me up at around 1. I had to rush to get ready. Luckily, Charlie had left early that morning because he wanted to go fishing with some of the guys down in La Push. I was glad I wouldn't have to explain anything to him.

I dressed casually, in jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie and my Vans.

I had just finished shoving my wallet, phone and keys into my small cross-body bag when I heard the low horn from Edward's car out front. I ran swiftly down the stairs and hurried over to him.

"Hi," I said with a wide smile.

Edward chuckled at me as he pulled away from the curb.

"How was your morning?" he asked.

"Ok," I said "Charlie woke me up kind of early to tell me he was going fishing this morning. But other than that, it was fine. You?"

"Productive. I got a morning run in and did some weight training with Emmett. And I also did my laundry."

"Nice."

The drive to Port Angeles was fast and scary. Edward drove over 85mph, so I was freaking out half of the time.

"Can you slow down at least a little?" I grumbled as I gripped the seat tightly in my hands.

"I hate driving slow," Edward sighed, but still he slowed to a steady 75mph.

"What's the rush?" I asked.

"There's no rush," he answered. "I just don't like driving slow."

I nodded, looking out of the window.

"I hope you didn't eat," he said.

"I didn't," I laughed.

Edward pulled into a small parking lot in downtown Port Angeles.

"Its just a couple of blocks," Edward said as we climbed out of the Volvo.

When we reached the diner I saw that it was called _Barbara's_. The diner was almost exactly like how Edward described. It was very cute and very small. It was made out of wood and had some cool abstract metal sculptures around. There was indoor seating as well as a patio. The patio was covered in many white Christmas lights, which glittered under the wooden canopy. There were many art pieces up on the walls and there was some indie rock band playing in the background. It was very cute, with its mismatched chairs and multicolored tabletops. Edward and I decided to sit outside in the patio because it was such a nice day.

Our waitress walked over and took our drinks. We both ordered a couple of cokes and a couple of pasta dishes. Our drinks were brought to us in Mason jars with black straws. I laughed.

"This is cute," I said to Edward as I took a drink from my coke.

"Yeah," he agreed. "This is the only semi cool place around. Not many people come here, as you can see…" he gestured to the empty patio.

Inside there was a bar and I saw only one older man enjoying an ice-cold beer.

"I love it," I said. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"Have you talked to your dad about seeing the Sunshine Underground on Friday?" he asked after he took a drink from his own coke.

"No," I cringed.

"Do you think he's gonna let you go?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"You should ask him now rather than later," he suggested.

"I haven't talked to the girls either," I said.

Edward laughed.

"I just haven't gotten around to it. I've had other things on my mind," I mumbled.

"Like what?" he asked. "Me?"

I blushed and looked away.

Our food came a minute later. I ordered some ravioli and Edward got chicken Parmesan. The food was ok, nothing too special. But then again, I didn't expect anything more considering we weren't at an Italian restaurant.

"How's your food?" I asked Edward.

"Its ok," he said. "But your Fettuccine Alfredo was better."

I laughed.

"You still owe me dinner," Edward said.

"I thought we covered this already," I argued. "I never said I would make you dinner."

"So you don't want to?" he asked.

"I didn't say that."

"That's what it seams. Apparently I keep reminding you of how much you don't want to make me dinner."

"I didn't say I didn't _want_ to make you dinner," I argued. "I'm just saying that I never actually offered."

"So where does that leave us?" he asked. His smug crooked smile made an appearance.

"I'll make you dinner next weekend," I said with my chin held high.

"Cool. What are you making?" he asked with a wide smile.

"Whatever you want. What's your favorite dish?"

Edward thought for a moment. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe you should surprise me."

"Do you like stake?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you like potatoes?"

"Yes."

"Do you like cheese?"

"Obviously." Edward gestured to his plate.

"Right. That was a stupid question. Hmm…" I thought for a minute. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

"What about Charlie?" Edward asked with a mouth full of bread.

"What about him?"

"Isn't he going to have to know why I'm coming over Saturday night?" I didn't miss the tiny glint in his eye.

"Oh." I murmured.

"What are you going to tell him?" Edward pressed.

"I'm not sure yet," I said.

"You can't flake on me now, Bella." I loved the way my name sounded as it rolled off of his tongue. He said it as if he was actually caressing my name with his full lips.

"Well, what do you think I should say to him?" I asked. I studied his face.

"I don't know," Edward shrugged. "What do you want to tell him?"

"I think I need some help in that department," I said.

"I guess you can say…" Edward thought for a moment, "That we're dating."

I blushed. "Is that what we're doing?"

I watched as his full lips twisted into a smirk before he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes.

"So you think I should tell Charlie that we are dating," I said, making sure I understood him correctly.

"Sure," he said. "We're in the middle of our first date, after all."

"I guess your right." I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I took another bite of my food.

"How's the ravioli?" Edward asked. His plate was almost licked completely clean.

"Its good," I said. "Want some?"

He picked up his fork and stabbed a ravioli before popping it into his mouth.

"Your food always tastes so much better than mine," he mused before he stabbed a second one and popped it into his mouth.

Edward helped me finish my lunch and when the waitress came back, Edward ordered a large slice of chocolate cake.

"Wow," I chuckled once the waitress left. "You're not even full?"

"I'm a growing man and I work out everyday," Edward said as gave his tummy a soft pat. "I can eat more than you think."

"I believe you."

The slice of cake came a few minutes later and we both reached for a fork and dug in. It was thick and moist and totally delicious.

"Oh my God," I moaned after I took my first bite.

"I know," Edward agreed. "I usually only come here for the cake and a cup of coffee."

I chuckled and took another bite. "I wish I could make dessert," I said longingly.

"You don't know how to bake?" Edward asked. He looked surprised.

"Not really," I shrugged. "It's a lot harder than cooking a regular meal. Its way more tedious."

"I've changed my mind," Edward said as he leaned back in his chair. He was giving me the last bite. "I want you to make me a cake Saturday night. That will be our dinner."

I gaped at him. "But I just told you that I don't know how to bake."

"I know," he said. "But I want you to try."

"Why?" I asked feeling a little confused.

"Because I think I'd prefer dessert over an actual entre. So Saturday night, I'll bring over some dinner for us to eat and you'll make the cake for desert."

"What if I ruin it?" I asked.

"You wont," he reassured me. "And anyway, I wouldn't mind licking some chocolate frosting off those lips."

I glanced up at him in surprise. His eyes were hooded with lust as he leaned towards me on his elbows. It was then that I realized his gaze was fixed on my mouth. I licked my lips and blushed when I tasted the bit of icing that had clung to the edge of my bottom lip.

Edward shifted in his seat so that he could lean over the table and kiss me… or rather; suck my bottom lip into his mouth. I moaned when I felt his teeth and tongue brush against my lip. We pulled apart with a small smack.

"Delicious," he said with a smile. "Are you done?"

I nodded.

Edward pulled some cash from his wallet and placed it on the table between us before he stood up. I noticed that he was leaving a generous tip.

"Let's go for a walk," Edward suggested as he headed down towards the pier. I followed him in silence, still dazed by his kiss.

Once we reached the marina, Edward pulled out his cigarettes and offered me one. I took it and he lit it for me.

It was so beautiful today. The sun was out, bathing Edward and I in a glorious pool of bright sunlight. I took a long drag from my cigarette. So far, this was the best date in the history of dates.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked.

I turned to see him leaning against the wooden railing, watching me. He was wearing his leather jacket today.

"I'm having a nice time," I said. "And I'm really enjoying this cigarette."

Edward let out a soft bell-like laugh.

"You really need to talk to Charlie about Thursday," Edward said as he faced the water. "I don't want to go to the concert if you're not going."

"I'll talk to him," I said.

Edward turned to look at me before he placed his arm around my shoulder. His arm was heavy and large, but it felt great wrapped snugly around me. Involuntarily, I curled into his side kissed his neck gingerly. I didn't know when it started to happen, but I was suddenly starting to feel comfortable touching him and kissing him. Maybe it was because of what happened between us yesterday. We had been more intimate than before and Edward had even opened up to me. He told me about his parents, what had happened to him as a child. And then he came over to my house and spent almost the whole night with me. Edward and I weren't just friends anymore. We were _dating_ now. He had said so himself.

Edward immediately reacted to my kiss. He pulled away just enough so that he could capture my lips with his. I could taste the chocolate mixed with the cigarette on his tongue when he forced it into my mouth. His kiss was deep and hungry and it sent bolts of pleasure through my body.

"We need to stop," he gasped. He tried to gently pull away from me.

I opened my eyes, glancing at him in confusion.

But Edward's eyes were still closed.

"Why?" I breathed into his face. His scent was driving me wild. Leather, cigarettes, Old Spice and chocolate.

Edward leaned into me, taking a deep breath. He was obviously just as hypnotized by _my_ scent.

"Fuck," he groaned as he thrust his hips softly against my abdomen.

"What's wrong," I asked in a shaky voice. I felt his grip on my waist tighten.

"I can't control myself with you," he answered honestly.

"You've done good so far," I murmured close to his lips.

"Bella," Edward moaned as he leaned in to suck my bottom lip into his mouth again. "If I could have it my way, I would be fucking you so hard right now."

His words sent an electric shiver down my spine.

He moaned again when he felt me tremble in his arms.

"You could have yesterday," I whispered honestly.

Edward opened his eyes. His pupils were dilated and I could see all of the lust and hunger swirling around in his green irises.

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" he asked in thick husky voice.

The sound was so guttural and deep, it reminded me of the base of a drum.

"I think so," I said with a nod.

"Bella," Edward groaned as he brushed his nose against mine. "I don't know how much longer I can control myself."

"I trust you," I murmured.

He took a deep breath and brushed his nose against mine again.

"Stop." My voice was weak.

"Stop what?"

"Stop doing that," I said as I turned my face away from him.

Edward took the opportunity to skim his nose down my neck. I trembled in his arms again.

"What did I do?" His wet lips ghosted over my hammering pulse over my carotid artery.

"You're dazzling me," I murmured.

I felt Edward chuckle softly against me.

"What should we do now?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"I want to buy you something," he whispered into my ear.

"Why?" I asked.

"Isn't that what guys do when they take their girl out on a date?"

His voice was doing strange things to my body.

Edward leaned away from me, searching my eyes. I felt so dizzy, I could barley comprehend what the heck was going on.

"Let's go," he murmured as he took a few steps away from me.

We walked along the downtown streets through various little shops. There was one in particular that held handmade bags and clothing. We went in and looked around. I watched as Edward tried on some hats while I walked over to the jewelry section. There was a leather cuff with teal and green beading along it that I thought was kind of cool.

"Hey," Edward said from the other side of the glass counter.

I walked over to him and saw that he was holding up a thin, delicate white gold chain. At the end of it was a small feather. It was cute and tiny.

"Wow," I said as I rubbed my fingers over the tiny feather. "This is handmade?"

"Yup."

"Its so cute," I whispered, analyzing the fine detail.

"Just like you," Edward said with a smile.

He walked over to the woman behind the register and quickly paid for the necklace.

"Turn around," he said as he approached me.

I turned and pulled my hair up into a bun. The necklace fit nicely on me, the feather reaching just above the curve of my breasts.

"Thank you," I whispered when I turned to face him.

He smiled and led me out of the small store. We spent the next couple of hours walking around and talking until it grew late enough that we should drive home. I tried to explain to Edward that I didn't want to mention him to Charlie just yet. He understood, so at around 5 we got back into the Volvo and headed home.

We made it home before Charlie.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" I asked.

"I have to mow some lawns and trim some ferns," he said with a sigh.

I looked up at him surprised.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"How do you think I paid for lunch?"

"I guess I assumed your parents paid for it?" I said.

I watched as his eyebrows pulled together in a small frown.

"No," he said. "I don't ask them for their money."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "A lot of kids ask their parents for money. There's nothing wrong with that. I just…" he shook his head. "Never mind," he finished.

"What?" I asked.

"It's nothing," he murmured.

"Thanks for the wonderful day," I said.

He turned to glance at me. His eyes were soft now and I watched as a small smile tugged at his perfect lips.

I embraced him first. I leaned forward and pulled his head towards mine in a tender kiss. Though our kisses were tender at first, they quickly grew much more heated as we began to tugged forcefully on each other. One of his hands was in my hair while the other was pushed up underneath my t-shirt, palming my back. I had to push him away or else we would end up moving our party into the back seat.

"Edward," I gasped as I tore my lips away from him.

"Sorry," he groaned huskily against my lips.

"Where did all of your restraint go?" I asked with a chuckle. "You were so careful yesterday."

"I can't get you out of my mind." His voice was practically a growl. "Your body, your lips, the way you looked beneath me."

He shook his head before he leaned in to kiss me again.

I kissed him once before I pulled away and I dashed clumsily out of car.

"Call me later," I said with a giggle.

I saw Edward laugh softly to himself before he pulled away from the curb and sped down the street. I stood there for a moment, until his car finally disappeared around the corner. A wide smile broke over my face and I lifted my hands into the air to do a small twirl.

"What a day," I murmured softly to myself.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**The song they sing in Edward's room at the beginning of the chapter is **_**Here I Am, Baby **_**by Al Green.**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	16. Chapter 16: Broken Face

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Broken Face**

"What's going on with you two?"

I glanced up to see a very curious looking Emmett scrutinizing the proximity between Edward and I.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked around the bite of bagel in his mouth.

I tried to pull my hand away, but Edward grabbed my wrist, keeping the bagel I held within his reach.

"Are you guys goin' out or something?" Emmett asked with a lopsided smile on his face.

Edward turned to peer down at me, but I looked away from him. I wasn't going to be the one to answer that question. My eyes drifted over our table and I saw that our entire group of friends was watching us. Mike looked a little upset, which surprised me because he had joked about my closeness with Edward last week.

Edward gave Emmett a shrug before he took another bite of the bagel in my hand. That annoyed me. I wanted to know what he really thought about our relationship, and the fact that he wouldn't tell Emmett made me feel bad. Like, he didn't want to admit that we were dating or something.

I met Rosalie's gaze and saw her try to hide the smirk on her face. I didn't know why, but that annoyed me even further.

"You know, I didn't really pay too much attention to it before," Emmett continued. "But you two have been sitting alone in that corner together during lunch for the past two weeks. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Edward shrugged again.

I felt his arm slide over the back of my chair.

"Come on, Eddie," Tyler said. "We're all friends here."

I saw Tyler gave Edward a very pointed look, as if he was in on some kind of inside joke.

"Nothing's going on," Edward shot out harshly. "We're hanging out. What's the big fucking deal?"

I looked up at him, surprised by the anger in his voice.

"I have to go to the student's store," Edward murmured to me.

He got up from his seat and grabbed his messenger bag and Gatorade before turning to leave our table. I watched him go, thoroughly confused by what just happened.

"What was that?" Alice asked as she glared at Edward's retreating form.

I looked around at the table and everyone was watching me. I shrugged, feeling my cheeks flush as I ate the rest of the bagel. During the rest of the lunch hour, no one bothered me with any questions about Edward, which I was thankful for. Honestly, I didn't understand what the hell was going on with him all of a sudden. On Saturday he had suggested that I tell Charlie that we were dating. But now he suddenly didn't want his friends to know? I began to wonder if maybe Edward wanted me to tell Charlie because it just seemed like the easiest way to invite Edward over for dinner.

_No, that's not it,_ I thought. It would be easiest to tell Charlie that Edward and I were just friends.

What the hell was Edward's problem?

The lunch bell rang and Mike walked with me to Biology. Edward was already there when I took my seat at our table.

I studied his face, but he wasn't looking at me. Apparently he was much more interested in the blue pen he was twirling between his fingers.

"You ok?" I asked in a low voice.

"Sure," he mumbled.

His expression was cool and collected. I was beginning to hate that expression because I knew there was so much more brewing beneath it. I knew that face meant he was hiding something or suppressing something.

"Why are you upset?" I tried again.

"I'm not upset," Edward said.

He turned to look at me and I could see the confusion in his eyes. Was I confusing him?

"Then why were you so upset during lunch?" I pressed.

"What do you mean, Bella?"

I stared at him in bewilderment.

Just then, Mr. Banner walked in and ordered us to take out our lab books. He made us spend the period working on some worksheets, which were actually very complicated, and we weren't able to work in groups. Apparently, we were going to be graded on how successfully we could answer the questions. Luckily I had spent the evening last night getting a head start on the chapter. So it wasn't too bad.

When the bell rang, Edward got up and walked me to the gym.

"Have you asked Charlie yet?" he asked me as we approached the brick building.

"About what?"

"About Friday."

"Oh. No, not yet. But it's only Monday," I answered sheepishly.

Edward sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Edward?" I asked. I was trying to muster up the courage to ask him about us, but I could feel it slip through my fingers as I gazed up at him.

"Yeah," he answered. He was searching my face curiously.

"Why did you get mad during lunch when Emmett asked about us?"

"I didn't get mad," Edward said. I could see the confusion in his eyes again.

"Then why did you storm off?"

"I didn't storm off. I had to go to the student's store."

We stopped walking and stood facing each other. His hands were in his pockets and he was standing about three feet away from me.

"But—"

The first bell cut me off. If I didn't go into the locker room now, I'd be late to Gym.

Edward leaned forward and gave me quick kiss on the lips.

"Don't forget to ask Charlie," he said with a smile before he turned and walked quickly to class.

I spent the entire Gym hour brewing over the way Edward was acting. I kept coming up with different assumptions as to why he didn't want to admit what was going on between us, and different scenarios of how he could have reacted towards Emmett and Tyler. All of these thoughts floating around in my head only added to my confusion and by the end of the period I was thoroughly, and irrationally, pissed off.

Alice seemed to have noticed because when Angela was trying to bring Edward up in the locker room, Alice shushed her and told her to drop it. I was grateful for that, but it still made me even angrier. I knew that I had once told myself that I didn't care to label my relationship with Edward, but my feelings were changing now. I suddenly really wanted him to be more than just my friend. I wanted him to be my _boyfriend_. I wanted to hold his hand and kiss him and just be with him in public. Was that so wrong?

As Alice, Angela and I made our way over to the parking lot, Tyler suddenly ran up to us and told us that we should come over to his place. Apparently he, Mike, and Eric thought it was a good idea to have a few drinks tonight. We all agreed and Angela offered to follow me home so that I wouldn't have to drive my truck to Tyler's house.

I wanted to ask Tyler if Edward was going, but I refrained.

Angela followed me home, and once I was in the back seat of her Toyota I took the opportunity to ask Edward if he was going to Tyler's.

I pulled out my phone and sent him a quick text.

_I'm heading over to Tyler's place with Alice and Angela. Are you going? _I wrote.

Edward texted me back a minute later.

_I'll be there._ –Edward

We pulled up to Tyler's house and once everyone got there we walked through the thick woods towards the fence.

My eyes flickered to Edward repeatedly. I was still pissed off and planned to confront him as soon as I was over that stupid fence.

"Don't freak out this time," Rosalie mumbled in my ear as she walked past me.

I sighed and buttoned my blazer closed. Luckily I was wearing my tights today.

Much like the last time, Tyler went first, then Rosalie, Angela, Eric and Mike. That was when I moved forward. I didn't want to be the last one again.

"I'll be right behind you," Edward whispered into my ear as I reached for the fence.

I glanced at him over my shoulder and gave him a nod. He must have seen the look in my eye because he frowned at me. I was still angry with him and was just waiting for the moment when I could blow up in his face.

I climbed slowly and steadily up the fence, and I was doing great until reached the top. That was where I got stuck.

"Uh… a little help?" I called down to Edward.

I heard him chuckle softly before he quickly scaled the fence. He positioned himself steadily before he gripped my waist and helped me swing my legs over the top. He held on to my right hand as I slowly descended the other side.

"You got it from here?" Edward asked when he couldn't reach down any further.

"I think so," I murmured as I reluctantly released his hand.

"Tyler, catch her if she falls," Edward called down.

"I got it," Tyler said. He was already hovering below me with his arms out.

I almost made it down in one piece, but I slipped on my last step and was caught by my waist by Tyler. He laughed at me and set me down. I brushed it off, because it could have been a lot worse.

I watched as Edward swiftly climbed down the fence to land softly beside me.

Next came Alice, Jasper, and then Emmett. Once we were all on the right side, we walked quietly towards Tyler's garage. I spent those five minutes trying to decide on how to approach Edward.

"Why are you so upset?" Edward whispered into my ear.

I turned to see him frowning down at me.

"I'm not upset," I murmured.

"Bullshit."

I stopped walking and watched as everyone entered the garage. I was left alone with Edward.

"Why didn't you want to tell Emmett we're dating?" I rounded on him.

Edward stared at me in surprise.

"Are you embarrassed of me or something?" I whispered. "I mean, I don't get why you want me to tell Charlie that we are seeing each other, but you don't want to tell your friends. That doesn't make any fucking sense."

I could hear the irrational tone in my voice, but I couldn't stop it. I was angry and hurt. I began to wonder if maybe I was more serious about Edward than he was about me. I was falling for him and falling hard. I knew that, but I still didn't really know what his feelings were towards me. He told me he really liked me and liked hanging out with me, but that could mean anything.

I blushed when I realized that maybe I was expecting too much from him. I was expecting him to return my feelings and the sudden realization that maybe he didn't really like me that way made me feel suddenly very embarrassed and almost horrified by my actions. I was trying to push him into a relationship that he probably didn't even want.

"Forget it," I said in a shaky voice.

I turned towards the garage, but Edward caught me by the wrist before I was even able to take my first step.

"Bella," Edward whispered. "Why do I have to tell my friends what's going on? Why cant we just be together for us? Its none of their business what we're doing."

"I know it's none of their business," I whispered back to him. "But it makes me feel really shitty that you practically denied the fact that we're dating. And that was your decision in the first place. You were the one who brought up labeling us."

I was getting defensive now.

"Why is this such a big deal?" he asked incredulously. "Why can't we be exclusive?"

I stared at him for a moment before I yanked my hand out of his grasp. I felt my anger reach its peak as I turned and marched away from him towards the garage.

I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings as I entered the warm room. I was way too lost in my own head, fuming over my encounter with Edward outside. The room was familiar to me now as I walked over to the fridge and grabbed an ice-cold beer. I hadn't even gotten my first sip when something sudden clocked me hard on the mouth. I was on the floor in record time, my head smacking into the uneven concrete.

I must have blacked out because the next thing I knew I was being shaken awake. I lay there dazed and my body felt numb in comparison to the pain I felt in my mouth.

"What the fuck?" I tried to say, but my mouth wouldn't move properly.

I was slightly aware of someone pulling me up and then splashes of color burst in front of my eyes before Rosalie's face came into view. She was standing over me. There were tears in her eyes and she was saying something, but I couldn't really understand her. My vision was like a tunnel and I could feel myself going in and out from the pain. Then I heard Alice and Edward's voices.

"Edward!" Alice yelled. "It was an accident! He didn't mean to!"

Trying to hear her was like trying to listen to someone speak under water. I could just barely make out what she was saying.

"So what?" Edward roared. His angry voice was bringing me back to consciousness. "He could have fucking killed her! Look at her face!"

Someone was trying to sit me up while someone else pressed something cold against my mouth. I flinched from the pain and tried to pull away.

"Stop," I tried to say, but my mouth felt full and heavy.

The scent of rust and salt burned strong in my nostrils. And then my senses started coming back and I could taste the blood in my mouth. I opened my eyes and Rosalie was still in front of me. She was crying now; thick tears were streaming down her cheeks. I turned my head away from her and tried to spit out the blood that was threatening to choke me. The pain in my mouth was literally knocking me unconscious. I had to fight to keep my eyes open. My mouth felt huge and swollen. I tried to feel my lips with my fingers but Rosalie stopped me. It was then that I was aware of Mike behind me. He had me on his lap and was holding my head steady while Rosalie applied a frozen beer to my mouth. I tried to push her away but she wouldn't let me.

There was a lot of yelling and a loud scuffle coming from somewhere in the distance, but I couldn't make out what it was because my vision was so blurry. Was I crying?

And then I heard Edward again.

"I'm taking her to the hospital!" he yelled.

"Calm down for a minute," Tyler tried to say.

"Look at her fucking face!" Edward roared again.

He came into my line of sight. There was blood on his white shirt and his eyes looked wide with worry.

"Give her to me," Edward said in angry voice as he reached for me.

"I'm going with you," Rosalie said and she finally withdrew the bottle from my mouth.

I felt Edward's hands wrap underneath my shoulders and underneath my knees before he suddenly lifted me up into his chest like a baby. I moaned from the movement. My head was pounding and my mouth was on fire.

"What happened?" I tried to say, but it came out sounding like low gurgle.

"Shh…" Edward whispered close to my face. "You're going to be fine Bella."

I closed my eyes and rested my head against his shoulder. I could feel how quickly he was moving and heard Tyler's voice as he led him through the back yard.

"My parent's will be here any minute," Tyler urged. "Just hurry the fuck up so that we don't get caught."

"Fuck you," Edward said under his breath.

I must have fallen asleep again because when I opened my eyes Edward was pulling me out of the Volvo. I tried to look around but I felt my head swim uneasily. I was in so much pain.

"Dad!" I heard Edward yell.

I could feel him running with me in his arms.

And then I heard Rosalie speaking in a rushed voice.

"It was an accident," Rosalie said. "Jasper didn't mean to hit her. He didn't see her. It was an accident." She was crying again.

I felt cold hands on my face and I flinched away from them.

"What was she struck with?" I recognized Carlisle's voice.

"A fucking baseball bat," Edward groaned.

I remembered being placed on a flat surface before everything faded into darkness once again.

When I woke up, I was laying on a hospital bed. My eyes flickered open and the first thing I saw was Edward's bronze hair. His back was facing me. He was sitting in a chair close to my bed leaning towards Rosalie who was sitting on a separate chair in front of him. They were speaking in low voices and I couldn't hear what they were saying.

I shifted my gaze around the room. I was lying on my side, still dressed in my uniform and I wasn't connected to any monitors or anything.

"Hey," Rosalie said in a low voice.

I glanced up and saw her watching me. Edward shifted, turning his head to meet my gaze.

"What happened?" I tried to ask as I sat up.

My mouth still hurt, but it didn't feel as bad as it had earlier. My head didn't hurt so much either. Once I was able to push myself into a sitting position, I felt the blood rush to my head and everything around me swayed slightly. I could tell immediately that I was high on painkillers.

Edward was scrutinizing my face and then his lips twisted into a small smile.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

I felt his hand on my cheek.

"High," I tried to say. My mouth felt kind of numb.

"You scared the shit out of me," Edward murmured. "I thought Jasper killed you."

My eyes roamed over his face. He was still smiling at me, but I could see the pain in his eyes. I glanced down, taking in the blood that stained his white shirt. There was a lot of it, some on his collar, and the rest on his chest.

"What happened?" I asked again, more clearly this time.

"Jasper was being a fucking idiot and he was swinging a fucking baseball bat around," Edward said through gritted teeth. "You stepped in his way and he got you right on the mouth."

I watched as his eyes flickered to my lips.

I gasped and reached for my mouth, but his hands held mine away.

"Is it bad?" I asked, looking between him and Rosalie.

"Not that bad," Edward said, but I saw the expression on Rosalie's face.

"No," I groaned.

Edward helped me get up and walked with me towards the bathroom in the corner. I flicked the light on and took a deep breath before I looked in the mirror.

I sighed immediately. I didn't look that bad… well… not as bad as I was imagining anyway. I had a busted bottom lip that was dark red and black. My upper lip looked almost just as bruised, but with purple splotches instead of black. There was some dried blood at the edges of my mouth and down the front of my white shirt. Someone had removed my blazer. I let my tongue glide over my aching lips and realized that the real problem was inside my mouth. I opened parted my lips and saw how raw and swollen my gums were. I swallowed down the blood that gathered in my mouth; my gums were still bleeding, but at least there weren't any loose or missing teeth.

"Its not so bad," I tried to say.

"No," Edward murmured. "You still look beautiful."

I glanced at him in the mirror and felt a small smile on my lips. It was the first time he had ever called me beautiful. He wasn't looking at me through the mirror though. He had turned to gaze at me standing beside him. I watched in the mirror as his hand reached up and brushed my hair way from my face.

"How does your mouth feel?" he asked.

"It's ok I guess," I mumbled.

I took a deep breath and looked at my bruised mouth again.

"This is embarrassing," I said.

Edward walked me back to the small room just as Carlisle walked in. I smiled sheepishly at him when he caught Edward lifting me onto the bed.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" he asked as he pulled a flashlight out of his coat pocket.

"Fine," I murmured.

Carlisle was very gentle when he opened my mouth and inspected the damage. He told me that my teeth seemed fine and that there wasn't any serious damage, apart from my lip. I didn't have a concussion, and so there wasn't anything to worry about. He said I was very lucky to not have lost any teeth.

"But you'll have to see a dentist as soon as possible for a second opinion," he said as he ran a gloved finger over my front teeth. "The bleeding hasn't stopped yet."

I sighed, giving him a nod.

"Are you still in a lot of pain?" he asked.

"Some," I answered honestly.

He told me he was going to give me a prescription for painkillers to take home, but ordered me not to take them unless I really needed to. He reassured me that I would heal up just fine in a couple of days. I could even go to school tomorrow if I wanted.

I chuckled at the expression on Rosalie's face. She looked so freaked out.

"Rose," I called to her with my arms open.

"I'm so sorry," she said as tears dripped from her eyes.

I hugged her tightly, still giggling.

"Its not that bad, Rose," I tried to say. "I've been through worse. Trust me, I'm accident prone."

Rosalie chuckled and wiped her eyes.

"We had to call Charlie," she said.

"Did you tell him what happened?" I asked.

Both Rosalie and Edward shook their heads no.

"I'll tell him I slipped or something," I said. "Is Jasper ok?"

"Who gives a shit about Jasper," Edward muttered. "He could have fucking killed you."

"I'm fine," I said, rolling my eyes at him.

Charlie arrived a few minutes later and I sat and quietly listened while Carlisle explained my current situation. Charlie looked really freaked out at first but then he seemed to relax when he realized that nothing was life threatening.

"You'll need to take her to see a Dentist as soon as possible," Carlisle urged. "Make an appointment first thing in the morning."

Once Carlisle left, it was Charlie's turn to interrogate Edward, Rosalie and I.

"What the hell happened?" he said, eying all three of us, but I didn't miss the way his eyes lingered on Edward.

"We were all hanging out and Jasper accidently hit Bella with a bat," Rosalie said.

I was surprised that she told the truth. I was sure she was going to try to cover for her brother.

"I'm so sorry," Rosalie said. "It was a complete accident. Bella stepped in his way."

Charlie sighed and looked from me to Edward.

"Is that what happened?" he asked us.

"Pretty much," Edward said. "I was right behind her when it happened. I saw the whole thing."

Edward turned to brush the back of his fingers against my cheek.

I blushed, my eyes flickering between him and Charlie.

Charlie stared at Edward's hand for a minute before he turned to frown at me.

"I'm fine Dad," I said in a low mumble. My mouth wasn't working properly just yet. "Its no big deal."

"Well, I've got to go fill out some paperwork," Charlie said in a gruff voice. "Ill be right back."

He shot Edward an angry look, which caused Edward to drop his hand and move a few inches away from me.

"I'm gonna go call Jasper," Rosalie said.

I watched as she followed Charlie out of the room, leaving Edward alone with me.

Edward let out a deep sigh before he turned to sit beside me on the bed.

"I can't believe this happened to you," he whispered as he ran a finger along my jaw.

I was surprised by how comfortable he felt about touching me. He had even touched me in front of Charlie.

"I'm alright," I murmured.

"I know," Edward said. "But I'm still really pissed off. Jasper should have been paying attention. What the fuck was he thinking?"

Edward ran his hand roughly through his hair.

"It was an accident," I tried to say.

"I know," Edward sighed. "But how am I supposed to kiss you with your lips all swollen like that?"

I let out a soft chuckle and turned away, hiding my blush.

"You still want to kiss me even if I look like this?" I asked as I fiddled with the hem of my skirt.

"Yes," Edward said. I felt his lips graze against my cheek.

I sighed and turned my face towards him, letting my nose brush against his.

Maybe he did like me as much as I liked him after all.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier," I murmured through swollen lips.

"Shh…" Edward whispered. "I'm the one who should apologize."

I felt a pull in my chest from his words.

"I should be respecting your wishes and if you want me to tell my friends that you're my girl, I'll do it," he said.

He reached a hand up to gently brush his knuckles against my cheek. His hand was warm and comforting, but not as comforting as his words.

"You're not embarrassed of me?" I asked.

"Of course not," Edward sounded a little angry now. "I can't believe you'd even think that."

"What was I supposed to think?" I shrugged.

He sighed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

I reached my hands up and brushed my thumbs along his cheekbones.

"You don't have to tell your friends anything," I said. "I like what we have and I like that it's personal. I just wish I could touch you or…" I trailed off.

"Kiss me in public?" he asked with a smirk.

I blushed and tried to pull away from him.

Edward reached for my face, carefully cradling my head in his hands. He took a deep breath before he leaned in and very softly pressed his lips against mine. It was the perfect kiss. Sweet and comforting. And luckily, it didn't hurt either.

Edward stayed with me for the next couple of hours until Charlie finished the paperwork and got my prescription. But once we were heading out of the hospital, Charlie began scrutinizing the proximity between Edward and I. Edward kept his hands on me as we exited the hospital. His hands were on my waist as he walked me towards Charlie's cruiser and he helped me climb in. I could tell that Charlie was itching to say something, but he didn't. That didn't faze me however; I was already expecting him to interrogate me once we were home.

"I'll come by tomorrow after school," Edward whispered to me as I took my seat in Charlie's car.

"Ok," I mumbled. "Tomorrow."

Edward smiled at me as brushed his thumb against my cheek.

I heard Charlie open the driver's door, and Edward hastily pulled his hand away from me.

Back at home, Charlie began his interrogation, just like I expected.

"What's going on between you and the Cullen boy? Is he our boyfriend?"

I watched as Charlie folded his arms over his chest. He was standing over me, his voice full of authority.

"We're… dating," I mumbled.

"Dating? Since when? You've only been in Forks for a few weeks."

"We like each other," I murmured. I kept my eyes on the ground between us. "Dad, I'm really tired and my mouth hurts. Can I go to bed?"

Charlie let out a low snort.

"Fine, but this conversation isn't over," he grumbled as he made his way towards the kitchen. "I'm getting you a dentist appointment tomorrow."

In my room, I took another painkiller and instantly knocked out. I didn't wake again until 1:30 in the afternoon the next day. My head was hurting and so was my mouth, but the pain was considerably reduced. I also realized that Charlie hadn't woken me up for school. I appreciated that. I didn't feel like going through the process of explaining to everyone what had happened yesterday. I was such an idiot for not paying attention when I walked into the garage last night. Poor Jasper was probably beating himself up over it.

I got up from my bed and took a quick shower. In the mirror I saw that the bruises were much worse. They were darker now and beginning to settle in and there was a splash of dark red and blue on my jaw as well. My busted lip looked worse, a nasty shade of black, but at least my gums had stopped bleeding. I saw that as a good sign and so I brushed my teeth very softly, mostly to get the 'morning breath' out of my mouth.

I was in the process of pulling on some clothes when my phone beeped from my blazer pocket. Fishing out my phone, I saw that I had a text from Edward.

_Are you up?_ –Edward

_Yes_, I wrote.

_Can I come over?_ –Edward

_Sure_, I wrote.

_Be there in 5._ –Edward

I glanced at the time. It was only 2.

_What about school?_ I wrote.

_I ditched. I wanted to see you._ –Edward

I chuckled and shook my head.

_See you soon,_ I wrote.

I pulled on a pair of tights and an old Rolling Stones t-shirt.

A few minutes later I heard a soft knock on my front door. I walked carefully down stairs; paranoid I might trip and fall flat on my face.

I opened the door and saw a very wet Edward standing on the threshold. His smile faltered when he took in the excessive bruising on my mouth. I didn't bother covering it up with makeup.

"Fuck," he murmured as he reached to cradle my face in his hands.

"I'm alright," I croaked. My voice sounded awful, but I guessed it was because I hadn't spoken a word all day.

Edward brushed his thumbs gingerly against my bruised jaw and swollen lips. I stared into his eyes, watching the way his irises flickered around over my busted lip before he pulled my bottom lip down to see my teeth and gums.

He nodded. He was glad to see that my gums weren't bleeding anymore.

"I brought you something to eat," he said as he pulled a couple cans of chicken soup and a couple containers of yogurt from his messenger bag. I also saw the neck of his ukulele hanging out of the flap.

"You didn't have to do that," I murmured.

"I know," he said in a soft voice. "But I wanted to."

I followed Edward into the kitchen and watched as he quickly heat up the soup in the microwave. Once he was done, he carried my bowl up the stairs to my room.

I ate quietly and listened as Edward talked about the day I'd missed. He talked to everyone about the concert on Friday, but he was now considering skipping out on the concert. When I asked him why, he told me it was because he didn't think I should go.

"Go without me," I murmured.

"I don't want to go without you," he groaned.

He was lying at the foot of my bed, and he was so big that his head and butt were practically dangling off each side.

"I don't want you to go without me either," I said honestly. "Maybe I can still go, though. I mean, I feel a lot better. I just have to convince Charlie that I'm well enough to go."

"Bella," Edward groaned again. My heart fluttered from the way he said my name. "I'm not letting you go to the concert. You need to rest and let your face heal."

"But I want to see them play," I whined.

Edward chuckled and took the bowl away from me before I had the chance to accidently spill it. He placed it on my computer table before crawling on the bed to lie beside me.

I scooted over for him. He felt so warm against me and I could smell his delicious scent.

"Take your shirt off," I murmured.

I watched as Edward's lips twisted into a crooked smile.

"You first," he breathed into my face.

I felt my tummy flutter with anticipation. I sat up and ran my hand through my damp hair, trying to decide. I decided to go for it.

I clutched the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. I wasn't wearing a bra, but I didn't care.

"Your turn," I mumbled as I lay back down beside him.

Edward's eyes were on my chest, drinking in my exposed flesh. Then he sat up and unbuttoned the first few buttons on his collared shirt before pulling it over his head. I could feel the heat radiating off of his bare chest as he lay back down beside me.

With a careful hand, I brushed my fingertips down his bare chest and over his firm stomach. I saw the bulge in his pants grow as I slid my hand along his ribcage.

"Your body is amazing," I said in a low voice.

I wanted to kiss him, but my lips were still very swollen.

I met his gaze. His eyes were hungry as he gazed down at my moving hand and bare chest.

"Touch me," I whispered.

"I… can't," he moaned and he turned his head slightly away from me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I don't want to just _touch_ you." His voice was practically a growl.

His eyes were closed now and he was breathing heavily through his nose.

"Ok," I sighed. "No more touching."

I pulled my hand away from him and sat up.

"Where are you going?" he asked as I got up from the bed.

"I'm gonna put some music on," I mumbled.

I dug through one of the boxes in my room that my mother had sent me. It held various assortments of DVD's, books and CD's. I chose _the Essential Johnny Cash_ album that Phil had given me for my birthday last year. Given what I knew so far about Edward's taste in music, I knew he would appreciate this.

I walked over to my modest CD player and placed the CD into the compartment and pushed Play. _Hey Porter_ was the first song on the album.

I glanced at Edward when the song began to play and I giggled when is saw that his eyes were still on my chest. He smiled sheepishly before he turned to pull his ukulele from his bag.

"I know how to play this song," he said in a low voice.

He played along with the song for a few seconds before the solo began. The ukulele had a softer sound, but it sounded nice as Edward played in time with song. It was fun to watch the way his long fingers flew quickly and skillfully over the neck of the ukulele. He was really good.

"Hey porter, hey porter. It's getting light outside. This old train is puffin' smoke, and I have to strain my eyes," he sang in his beautiful, low, eccentric voice. "But ask that engineer if he will blow his whistle please. Cause I smell frost on cotton leaves and I feel that Southern breeze…"

He continued to play without singing and I moved to sit at the edge of the bed in front of him until the song came to an end.

"You're so good," I mused. "You should be in a band."

Edward chuckled at me as if what I was saying was ridiculous.

"I'm serious," I said. "You're amazing. You play really well and you sing really well. Have you ever considered it?"

"Na," he said with slight sneer. "I don't really like playing in front of people."

"You play in front of me," I said.

"That's because I like you," Edward responded.

The muscles in my stomach clenched from his words.

His eyes were still on the ukulele as he strummed softly with the next song. I could tell he didn't know this one as well because he would stumble over the chords or pause in concentration as he listened.

"I lie awake at night to wait 'til you come in. You stay a little while and then you're gone again…" he murmured in a low voice as he tried again to pick up the chords.

I watched him, mesmerized by his smooth voice and skilled fingers. And it didn't help that he was leaning against my headboard shirtless.

My eyes roamed over his arms as they flexed with each chord he played and the tattoo on his shoulder.

"Your birthday is coming up," I whispered. I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't want to interrupt.

Edward nodded as he strummed along with _I Walk The Line_.

"Got any plans?" I asked.

"Some," he sighed. "I'm planning on getting another tattoo."

"Really?" I asked surprised.

He nodded, giving me his crooked smile.

"What are you gonna get? Where are you gonna get it?" I could here the excitement in my voice.

"You'll see," he chuckled.

I saw his eyes flash to my chest again before he cleared his throat.

I reached for my shirt and made to put it on, but Edward stopped me.

"Don't," he murmured. "I like the way you look like that."

I blushed and flipped my hair over my shoulder, trying to add some coverage.

Edward sat up and placed his ukulele down against my bedside table. He slid closer to me and carefully brushed my hair away from my chest. He was leaning so close to me that his breath began to feather across my neck and chest. My nipples hardened involuntarily and I stretched my back a little straighter. The dampness in my underwear became much more noticeable as well.

Edward leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my shoulder and then another one against my neck. I let out a soft whimper of pleasure when his tongue darted out to lick the hollow beneath my ear.

The heat from his body was crashing in waves against mine, making me shiver.

"Edward," I murmured as I tilted my head to the side, allowing him further access to my neck.

Edward's hands snaked their way around my waist where he rubbed circles into my lower abdomen and the top curve of my ass. I felt myself tremble in his arms. I was so incredibly turned on. And I could tell he was as well because he began to slowly rock his hips towards me.

Just as Edward's hand slipped into my underwear his phone rang.

He paused for a minute, listing to it ring until it finally went to voicemail. He was about to continue his journey down south when his phone rang again.

"Fuck," he groaned as he sat up and moved swiftly towards his messenger bag.

"It's my dad," he murmured before he answered the phone. "What's up?" he said into the phone.

My eyes flickered to the clock on my bedside table. It was already 4.

"Shit," he mumbled. "I forgot. Yeah. I'll be there in a minute."

He hung up and started pulling on his shirt and shoes.

"I have to go," he said as he pulled on his blazer and shoved his phone into his bag.

"Ok," I said as I pulled my own t-shirt back on.

I grabbed Edward's ukulele and followed him down the stairs towards the front door.

"Here," I said, handing him the small instrument.

"Hold on to it for me," Edward said with a smile. "It'll give me a reason to come back."

I laughed and hid it behind me.

He leaned down and kissed my lips very softly.

"Ill call you later," he whispered against my mouth.

"Ok," I whispered back.

He gave me one more gentle kiss before he pulled away and ran out into the rain towards his car.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Holly BROKENFACE-Bella! Poor Bella. Has anything like this every happened to you guys? I've had a handful of busted lips in my day, but none have been because of a fight. Lol I'm just accident prone as well. Just saying.**

**Songs mentioned are: **_**Hey Porter, Cry Cry Cry **_**and**_** I Walk The Line**_** by Johnny Cash.**

**This may be the last chapter I post for a few days. I have work so I'll be busy all this coming week. …But if I get a lot of reviews, I may post the next chapter tomorrow. ;) I guess we'll see.**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17: Melodramatic Teenagers

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Melodramatic Teenagers**

I sat in the creepy patients chair in the dentist's office, feeling like a beat up little girl. The chair was left reclined so all of the blood was rushing to my head and it was making my lip throb painfully.

At around 4:30, after Edward had left, Charlie came rushing home telling me to grab my purse because he was taking me to the dentist. When I asked why he hadn't warned me earlier he said it was because he had forgotten all about the appointment. I was so fucking relieved that Charlie hadn't caught Edward and I in the act of intimacy. I'm sure that would have scared Charlie and I both for life.

"Open," the dentist asked as he slid is tiny stool on wheels towards me.

His name was Patrick White, which I thought was kind of funny because he was an old white guy and he kind of looked like Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants.

I opened my mouth as wide as I could without causing myself too much pain. It was hard because my jaw was aching considerably.

It took him twenty minutes to check my teeth. Apparently, my gums were still swollen, but there wasn't any serious damage; no loose teeth and no breaks or cracks. He gave me a soft toothbrush that had a Disney princess on it and told me to stay away from hard or chewy foods for a while, at least until my jaw and gums heal.

I got off of the reclining chair and walked out of the office and into the lobby. Charlie stayed behind to schedule a follow-up in a couple of months.

Because the dentist said I was fine, I decided it was time to ask Charlie if I could go to the concert on Friday. I knew it was going to have to take some serious convincing on my part. And if that didn't work out, I'd ask Alice to come over and help me.

"Dad," I said as we walked towards his car. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Are you ready to talk about the Cullen boy?" he asked in a gruff voice.

I cringed. Fuck.

"Uh…"

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Not really," I answered honestly. "We're just… seeing each other."

"What do you mean by _seeing _each other?" he asked a little flustered.

"He took me to lunch in Port Angeles on Saturday," I said. "It was nice."

I reached for the necklace that dangled beneath my shirt.

"Are you guys being… you know… safe… or…?" Charlie was mumbling awkwardly.

"Dad!" I gasped defensively. "Jeez."

"Well you're my sixteen year old daughter and I just want to know that you're taking precautions," he defended.

I rolled my eyes and walked deliberately quicker towards his cruiser.

"Well, we haven't done anything like that," I murmured. "And that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Then what was it you wanted to talk about?" Charlie asked as we slid into his car.

"There's a concert in Port Angeles on Friday. The Sunshine Underground are playing and all of my friends are going. I wanted to ask you if I could go."

"Is the Cullen kid going to be there?" he asked.

"His name is Edward, dad. And yes, he will be there."

"I don't know, Bells," Charlie said. "You just had an accident and you're on pain killers. I think it would be very irresponsible of me to let you go to a concert."

"Dad, I'm not on painkillers anymore. I only took one last night to sleep. I haven't had any today. And anyway, the dentist and Dr. Cullen said I was fine."

"Still. You were in an accident. What if you trip and hit your face again."

We both shuddered at the thought.

"Dad, you know as well as I do that I'm prone to falling on my face at any time. I can't base my life on whether or not I'd fall during the concert."

He chuckled.

"Alright," Charlie said. "You can go... But!"

I was about to express my gratitude until he said that word. My smile immediately turned into a frown.

"But what?" I asked.

"I need to meet this Edwin," he said with a disparaging look in his eye.

"It's Edward, dad. And you've met him already."

"Well, I'd like to meet him properly, Bella. That boy looks very… mature for you. I want to get a good look at him before he takes my daughter to some concert."

"Dad, we're going with a group of friends," I argued.

"Bell, you said you are 'seeing' this boy," Charlie made air quotations with his fingers. "I want to make sure he has a good head on his shoulders."

"Fine," I sighed. I was sure Edward wouldn't really mind, considering he was planning to come over for dinner on Saturday anyway.

"So," I continued. "Does this mean that I can go to the concert?"

"Only if I meet this Edwin first."

"_Edward_, dad. His name is Edward."

I sighed audibly, which made Charlie snicker.

As soon as I got home I ran up to my room and pulled my phone out to call Edward.

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already after 6.

"_Hello,"_ he answered.

"Hey," I breathed into the receiver. He sounded so beautiful on the phone.

"_Hey,"_ Edward chuckled at me.

"I just got back from the dentist," I said. "There's nothing wrong with my teeth or my gums, but I do have to stay away from solid foods for a few days. And the doc gave me a princess toothbrush, which was nice."

"_Cute. Luckily I brought you some soup and yogurt, huh?"_

"I know," I chuckled.

"_How are you feeling?"_

"Fine. I talked to Charlie."

"_What did he say?"_

"He said I could go to the concert…"

"_I sense a 'but' coming on."_

"He asked about you."

"_What did you tell him?"_

"I said that we were dating." I cringed, waiting for his reaction.

"_And what did Charlie say?"_ he asked with a laugh.

"He said he wants to meet you before I can go to the concert."

There was a long pause.

"_Ok,"_ Edward said.

"Really?" I asked. I knew he would agree to it, but I couldn't help but be a little surprised anyway.

"_Sure. Does that mean I have to meet him before school since the concert is on Friday?"_

"Yes."

"_Are you going to school tomorrow?"_

"Yes."

"_I'll pick you up for school and I'll meet Charlie then."_

"Uh…"

"_I'm just looking out for myself here,"_ Edward chuckled into the phone. _"That way if Charlie tries to interrogate me, I can use school as an excuse to get out of there."_

"Well," I giggled into the phone. "Maybe you should meet him on Friday morning. I don't mind driving to school tomorrow."

"_Are you sure?"_

"Yeah."

I sighed and collapsed onto my bed. I glanced over at the ukulele that way lying beside me, just where I had left it.

"I miss you," I murmured. "Is that weird?"

"_No,"_ he hummed into the phone. _"I miss you too."_

I felt my face pull into a wide, and painful, smile.

"So I'll see you tomorrow at school then?" I asked.

"_Tomorrow."_

"Ok. I'm gonna take a painkiller and try to go to sleep early."

"_Goodnight Bella."_

"Goodnight Edward."

I hung up and stayed there for a moment, starring at the ceiling. My chest felt so full of this feeling. It was so strong, strong enough that it actually brought tears to my eyes. I knew immediately what it was. Love. It was so silly for me to be so incredibly and deeply in love with Edward Cullen so early into our relationship, but I couldn't help it. This feeling had been steadily growing inside of me every since I started school at Forks high. And that worried me because I had never been in love with someone. Sure, I've had crushes before, but this was different. It was an internal ache, a yearning for him. I wanted to see him and talk to him every moment every day.

I got up and put the Johnny Cash CD back on and turning the volume down to low.

I took another painkiller and took off my tights before setting the alarm clock beside my bed. As I settled in I glanced at the ukulele that was still lying beside me. I pulled it to my chest and strummed it a few times. It sounded kind of lame in my hands. I closed my eyes and thought of the way it had sounded when Edward played it. Beautiful and perfect.

"I'm gonna set my feet on Southern soil and breath that Southern air…" I sang softly to the end of _Hey Porter_.

I smiled to myself as I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, my face was hurting even worse that the day before and I tried my best to suppress the small cries of pain that I wanted to release as I applied a thick layer of foundation over my jaw. It was so tender today and the bump on my head was hurting even more as well. I figured I was having a bit of a delayed reaction to the pain.

I applied some foundation to my lips, just around the small gash and added a little bit of medicated lip balm. I still looked like I had just gotten through a boxing match with a grizzly bear, but I looked decent enough to get through the day, hopefully without too many awkward stares. I styled my hair and then hurried into my uniform and packed my bag before going down stairs.

I grabbed one of the yogurt's Edward had brought me and had a quick breakfast before I headed out.

During the drive, as I grew closer to school I realized that I was about to see all of my friends who had been there when I got knocked out by that baseball bat. And I would have to see Jasper as well.

"Shit," I murmured under my breath. "This is going to be embarrassing."

I pulled into the school's parking lot and parked in the space besides Edward's Volvo. He was standing alone, leaning against the trunk of his hatchback, waiting for me.

My eyes flickered over his black beanie and opened blazer, but even the sight of him couldn't eliminate the uneasiness I felt in my stomach.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked as he pulled my door opened.

"Nothing," I lied.

Edward, very deliberately, rolled his eyes at me.

"This is just going to be really embarrassing," I murmured.

"What's going to be embarrassing?"

"The fact that I have a busted up lip and all of our friends saw me get knocked out the other night. Could the situation have been any more melodramatic?"

Edward groaned.

"You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about," Edward said through clenched teeth. "Jasper is the one who should be embarrassed. He's the one who knocked a woman out. _And_ he hasn't even apologized to you yet."

"Edward," I sighed. "It was an accident. Please don't make this a big deal."

"It is a big fucking deal," Edward argued as he walked beside me through the parking spot. "He could have killed you Bella. Please understand that. If he had swung that bat just a little harder, he could have cracked your fucking skull open. Its not a joke."

I stared at him with wide eyes.

"It's true. You're really fucking lucky he wasn't swinging that bat too hard," he finished as he pulled my classroom door open.

He rubbed his knuckles against my cheek before he turned to jog towards his first class.

Algebra, Spanish and World History went by fairly quickly, I hadn't missed much. But as the hours ticked by I began seriously dreading seeing Alice in English. I knew she hadn't called me because she was probably busy consoling Jasper and I was fine with that. A little surprised, but fine. I didn't really expect her to worry because I was sure that Edward or Rosalie had let everyone know what my condition was. It was still a little weird though and I was nervous about the way she would act towards me considering it was Jasper who had accidently hurt me.

In English, I arrived to class after Alice did. And when I approached, her eyes went wide as she took in the gash on my bottom lip.

"I'm fine," I said. "Seriously. Its not a big deal."

"Bella," she moaned. "I'm so sorry."

I watched as her eyes flickered over the bruises on my face.

"It looks awful," she whispered. "Does it hurt?"

She lightly rubbed her index finger over the bruise on my jaw.

"Its fine," I lied. I tried not to flinch when her finger brushed a little too roughly against a tender spot.

"I'm sorry I didn't call yesterday," she said. "Jasper was really upset."

"I know," I answered honestly. "Its good that you were there for him."

"Edward was really mad," Alice continued. "He saw when Jasper hit you and as soon as you hit the floor he reacted. I've never seen Edward so angry before because he's always so calm and laid-back. He was instantly livid. He ran at Jasper and started trying to beat this shit out of him."

Alice covered her eyes and shook her head.

I had no response to that. I didn't know what had happened during those few minutes that I was out.

"It was awful," she whispered. "He was freaking out. We all were. There was blood everywhere; I think Edward thought you were dead or something. Emmett and Tyler could barely hold him back, and they're big guys."

I nodded, still speechless.

"I'm glad you're ok, though," Alice said. "Rosalie told us everything that happened at the hospital. We were all very worried about you."

"It really isn't a big deal," I said again. "I'm fine. I didn't even need stitches or anything."

Alice nodded, just as our teacher came in.

We spent the remainder of the class taking notes, but I was unable to focus much. My mind kept drifting to Edward and the things I had heard in Tyler's garage when I was in and out of consciousness. I remembered the scuffle and the anger in Edward's voice.

Without thinking I reached for the small feather that was hidden beneath my shirt. I rubbed the small charm between my fingers as I thought about Edward. He had seemed so protective of me all of a sudden. With rushing me to the hospital, and fighting with Jasper; you would think that what happened to me had personally insulted him.

The bell rang suddenly, and so I quickly gathered up my notes and backpack. I walked with Alice into the cafeteria, and while I stood in line I felt a large, warm hand brush against my back.

"How are you feeling?" Edward's voice was low whisper in my ear.

I sighed with a smile.

"Fine," I said.

Edward moved in front of me to gather various food items onto a tray. He got himself two bagels with cream cheese, an apple, a Gatorade, as well as some yogurt, a banana and water.

I reached for my own tray but Edward stopped me.

"I got it," he said.

I was about to protest, but refrained when he turned to wink at me. If buying me lunch would make him happy then I would let him.

I smiled and followed him to our table. Everyone was there, talking and laughing. But my eyes immediately found Jasper as Alice moved to sit beside him. I could see the shadow of a dark bruise over his left cheekbone. I knew immediately that Edward had given it to him. I frowned at the sight.

When Jasper's eyes flickered to mine I saw him blush uncomfortably beneath my gaze. I looked away immediately, not wanting to make this anymore awkward than it should be.

"Bella," Mike said as I took my seat in front of him. "How are you feeling? You look like shit."

"She does not look like shit," Rosalie argued from beside me. "She looks fine. I'd like to see what your face would look like after getting sucker-punched by a fucking baseball bat." Her voice was dripping with defense.

"Rose," I gasped, throwing her look.

"Its true. Jasper is a fucking idiot for swinging a bat around inside a tiny closed room."

I heard Edward snort beside me.

"All right, enough," Emmett argued in a soft voice. He was sitting across from Rosalie. "It was a accident and Bella is fine. Get over it."

"So what if it was an accident," Mike argued in Rosalie's defense. "Did you see the mess he made? There was blood everywhere. When I got home, my mom literally thought I had just committed a fucking murder."

"But she's fine now," Emmett said.

"So what?" Mike argued back. "That doesn't mean it didn't happen."

Heat flooded my face as the arguing continued around me. I felt like a circus animal, being fussed over and scrutinized. It was embarrassing. I hated being the center of attention and all I wanted was for this whole thing to be over. If I wasn't mad at Jasper then no one else should be. Yeah, Jasper _accidentally_ knocked me out with a baseball bat. But that was just it; it was a fucking accident. I felt my hands clench into fists on my lap.

"Leave him alone, Mike!" Angela yelled. "He's sorry, alright?"

A wave of protests erupted around the table.

"He hasn't apologized to her yet!" Rosalie yelled as she pointed her well-manicured finger in Jasper's face. "How do you know he's sorry, Angela?"

"Stop!" I yelled. I was on my feet and ready to run out of the door. "It was a fucking accident! Stop making this such a big fucking deal!"

I felt traitor tears leak from my eyes as I grabbed my bag and pushed my chair away from me. I ran out of the cafeteria door and made it a few yards away from the building before strong arms suddenly enclosed around me.

"Bella," Edward murmured in my ear. His voice was tender.

I tried to pull away from him, but he didn't let me. Instead, he held me firmly against his chest with one arm while he used his free hand to gently stroke my cheek and temple. I was instantly beginning to relax.

"I'm sorry," I said in a shaky voice. "I just can't stand that everyone is fighting over this."

Edward turned me so that I could face him properly.

"Everyone is really upset right now," he whispered into my face. "They're all very defensive about what happened. Let them get it out of their system."

"But its stupid." A tear dripped down my cheek.

"We're a bunch sixteen-year-old teenagers," Edward chuckled. "We're all stupid sometimes."

"You're seventeen," I chuckled softly.

"Sixteen, Seventeen. How different are they really?" he shrugged.

I chuckled again and pressed my face against his chest. He smelled like fresh laundry and Old Spice and… Edward. He was literally becoming my most favorite scent in the world.

I heard the low patter of feet approach and when I glanced up I saw that it was Rosalie.

"Hey," she said. She was carrying our tray of food.

"Rose," Edward chuckled as he took the tray from her.

"I thought you guys might still be hungry." She gestured to the uneaten food.

"Thank you," I sighed.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there. I got out of control," she said. "But seriously Bella, everyone we hang out with are a bunch of fucking idiots. My brother especially. I can't believe Angela was defending him, or even Alice—"

"Rose," Edward said in a stern voice. "Let's just drop it for now, alright?"

"Are we still going to the concert on Friday you think?" Rosalie asked Edward as she ripped a chunk from the bagel.

Watching Rose nibble on the small piece of bread instantly made me hungry and I reached for the yogurt and spoon.

"I think so," Edward sighed as he walked over to a small picnic table to place the tray down.

I sat closely beside him and watched as he spread some cream cheese onto a bagel before offering me a bite.

I shook my head pathetically.

"Well, I don't want to ride with Angela," Rosalie said. She was eating Edward's apple now.

"Rose, I'm hungry," Edward protested. "Why don't you go get your own damn food?"

"Ew," she complained before she sat up and roughly nudged his forehead with her palm.

He rolled his eyes and took a bite of his bagel.

"I can't believe the concert is already tomorrow," I murmured before I took my last bite of yogurt.

"It's gonna be fun," Edward said around his bite of food.

My tummy rumbled hungrily as I watched him suck the cream cheese from his thumb.

"Eat your banana," he said when he turned to look at me.

"I don't want it."

"I can feed you like a baby bird," he offered with a smirk.

I cringed and looked away, which caused him to laugh loudly into his fist.

Back at home, I made dinner, steak and potatoes again, and waited for Charlie to get home.

"Edward is picking me up for school Friday morning," I blurted out as soon as Charlie hung up his gun.

He glanced at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Since the concert is Friday, we all have to head over right after school. Edward said it would be more… prudent if he introduced himself tomorrow before school."

"Alright," Charlie said as he picked up his fork. "Do you need some money for the concert?"

"I have a little cash that I brought from Arizona," I said.

"Here," he pulled out his wallet and handed me forty dollars.

"Thanks dad," I said as I pocketed the money and took a bite of my potato.

On Friday morning, I dressed quickly into my uniform, applied a layer of foundation over my ugly bruised jaw and styled my hair before I went down stairs to wait for Edward. I was in the middle of enjoying another one of the yogurt's that Edward had brought me when there was a low knock on the front door. I looked up and met Charlie's curious gaze.

"I'll get it," I said rushing up.

Charlie watched me with a raised eyebrow as I dashed to the door.

Edward was standing on the porch with his hands tied in front of him. He looked a little nervous, though he hid it well. He was wearing his grey beanie, and his face looked clean and smooth. He shaved today. I smiled at him and stepped aside so that he could enter.

"Dad," I called as I walked into the kitchen with Edward. "This is Edward Cullen. Edward, my dad Charlie Swan."

"Hello, Chief Swan," Edward said as stepped forward with his hand out. "I wanted to formally introduce myself."

Charlie stood up from his seat and took Edward's hand.

I practically melted from the exchange. Edward could be a real gentleman if he wanted to be.

"Go ahead and call me Charlie," my dad said.

"Thanks, sir," Edward responded. His voice was like velvet today.

"So I hear your taking my daughter to a concert tonight."

I rolled my eyes. Charlie was obviously ignoring the fact that I had told him we would be going to the concert with a group of people.

"Yes, sir, that's the plan." Edward gave me small smile.

I smiled back at him. His confidence was radiating onto me.

"Well," Charlie said as he scratched the back of his neck. "I said I would let her go, but do me right and bring my daughter home at a decent hour."

"Don't worry Charlie, I'll make sure she doesn't get home too late," Edward said. His face was determined.

"You take care of my girl, all right?" Charlie said in a gruff voice.

"She'll be safe with me. I promise."

Charlie couldn't doubt the sincerity in Edward's voice, and neither could I for that matter. I stared at Edward for a moment, letting his words sink in. The promise he made was real, and I knew this because he had already taken it upon himself to keep me safe. The first time I had climbed the fence at Tyler's house, Edward had promised me he wouldn't let me fall and when Jasper accidently hit me with the bat, Edward rushed me to the hospital and took care of me.

"Are you taking Bella to school today?" Charlie asked as Edward and I moved towards the front door.

"Yes, if that's alright with you," Edward said.

"Wear your seatbelts," Charlie said as he gave Edward a soft pat on the back.

I laughed and gave Charlie a small wave, which he returned at the front door.

"That wasn't so bad," Edward said with a smile as we drove to school.

"I know," I agreed. "You were very polite… I think Charlie likes you."

Edward glanced down at me. His cocky crooked smile was in place and it dazzled my eyes. I heaved a deep sigh and looked out through front windshield.

During lunch, there was obviously a huge invisible wall between our group. Angela, Eric and Jasper sat one end of the lunch table while Edward, Mike, Rosalie and myself sat at the other end. Alice, Tyler and Emmett were on the borders, trying their best to remain neutral. We all talked about the concert and tried to decide the best way to ditch our last class so that we could get a head start. By the end of lunch, everyone decided on who was going to drive. Edward was going to drive Emmett, Rosalie and myself, and Tyler would drive everyone else in his van.

When the bell rang we all called out quick, and partly bitter, 'see you later's before heading towards our classes.

"This is going to be awkward," I murmured to Edward and Mike as we made our way towards Biology.

"Calm down," Mike argued. "I'm the one who's going to have to sit through an hour long drive with Angela and Jasper."

"Please don't fight with them anymore," I groaned. "I don't want this to become an issue between your friendship with Jasper."

"I'm not going to fight with anyone," Mike said. "I'm just annoyed that I have to ride with them."

"Then drive yourself," Edward suggested. "You have a car."

Mike grimaced as he pulled our Biology door open. Edward laughed at him. We both knew that Mike wanted to get wasted at the concert. That's why he wouldn't drive himself.

Biology went by very slowly. Mr. Banner was lecturing, but Edward and I didn't even bother taking notes. We were both equally as excited as we waited for the class to end so that we could sneak out of school with our friends and head over to the concert.

"I'm so excited," I murmured close to Edward.

He smiled softly down at me before sliding his heavy arm over my shoulders.

"We're going to have an awesome time tonight," he whispered against my cheek.

I felt my smile spread wider across my face, and then I flinched with the cut on my lip stung.

When the bell rang, Edward, Mike and I grabbed our things and dashed out of class.

"Are you sure I can't ride with you guys?" Mike asked as we moved quickly towards the parking lot.

"Fuck no," Edward said. "We don't have enough space."

Mike let out a low groan before he turned towards Tyler's van.

Once we reached the Volvo, we saw that both Emmett and Rosalie were already there. Edward unlocked the doors and we all climbed in. Emmett got the front and I took the back with Rose.

"Let's stop at Stanley's," Emmett suggested.

When we got to the liquor store, it only took about ten minutes for Emmett to find someone to buy him a bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes. Once we had the goods, Edward headed towards the freeway.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Emmett laughed before he took a long swig of whiskey.

I watched as he handed the bottle to Rosalie, who took an equally long drink before handing it to me.

"Uh… I don't know if I should," I said.

"You're not on any medication are you?" Rose asked.

"No."

"Then have some. It'll probably make your jaw hurt less anyway."

I glanced at Edward in the rearview mirror.

"I don't see how it could hurt," he shrugged. "But don't drink any if you don't want to."

I thought for a moment. It wasn't even 3 yet, so I figured if I had a drink now, I would see how I felt and if I couldn't handle it I wouldn't drink anymore for the rest of the night.

I shrugged and tipped some into my mouth. My throat burned, but not as much as the alcohol burned my lip.

"Ow!" I moaned as I placed a hand over my mouth.

"Poor baby," Rose laughed. Though her tone was a bit condescending, she still rubbed my back affectionately.

We got to Port Angeles in record time, but as soon as we got off the freeway, an argument between Emmett, Rosalie and Edward broke out because none of them remembered to get directions to exactly where the concert was being held. However, after some web searching on their iPhones, Rose was able to find the right location. The concert was being held on East Avenue at Port Angeles High School, on their football field. And by the time we parked, it was already pretty crowded.

"Daaamn," Emmett exclaimed as he looked out over the many groups of people clustered around the field. "I hate this fucking school."

I laughed, remembering when Edward and Emmett told me that Port Angeles High was one of their rival schools.

"I know," Edward agreed with Emmett. "Give me that damn bottle."

I watched as Edward took a long swig of whiskey. He coughed once before he took another.

After the bottle had been passed around and everyone felt a small buzz, we all climbed out of Edward's Volvo to meet up with the rest of our friends who were parked a little further down the line of cars.

Edward walked close beside me and he even threw his arm around my shoulder.

"It's a lot more packed than I expected," Edward said as he looked around at various high school kids.

"Well, this is Port Angeles," I mused. "I'm sure they don't get too much action over here."

"True," Edward laughed. "And I'm sure half of these kids don't even know who the Sunshine Underground are."

I let out a loud laugh, which caused Edward to raise his eyebrow in question.

"Are you buzzed already?" he asked inquisitively.

"Hey. I've been surviving off of yogurt and banana's for the past two days," I defended. "Don't judge me."

"I'm not judging you, Bella," Edward purred in my ear. "I was just asking."

I looked up at him and blushed when I saw him smiling crookedly down at me before he brushed his nose against mine.

Once we reached Tyler's van I saw that they were hot-boxing his car. Tyler saw us coming and stuck his head out of the window.

"Want a hit?" Tyler asked Edward.

"Na," Edward said as he pulled me tighter against his side.

I blushed when I felt his thumb accidently brush against the side of my breast.

We stood around for another ten minutes or so while everyone got their stuff together, and then as a group we walked over towards the stage. It was large and black and I could see the instruments in place. The weather was nice too. There wasn't any sun really, but at least it wasn't raining.

I watched as a lanky guy in a green and blue stripped sweater jogged across the stage to arrange some wires or something.

"That's the drummer," Edward whispered into my ear.

I smiled excitedly. My buzz was creeping up further and I couldn't help but bounce on the balls of my feet in anticipation.

"I've never been to a concert before," I admitted as I stared with wide eyes towards the stage.

"Never?" Edward asked. His voice was laced with disbelief.

"Never."

I turned to look at him. The gold in Edward's eyes danced with the fading afternoon light. And then he leaned down to gently kiss me just as the sound of a raw guitar burst through amps followed by a loud rupture of screams through the wide football field.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Ooo-La-La, I got so many reviews yesterday! Thanks for that. I only wish that I wouldn't have to threaten you guys with chapters in order to actually get reviews. Lol**

**Keep it up, friends!**

**Some of you tend let me know when I've misspelled something or if I have grammatical errors. I appreciate that, since I edit my own stories. Let me know if you see something out of whack and I'll fix it.**

**Thanks again and don't forget to review! I look forward to reading them. :D**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	18. Chapter 18: The Concert

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Concert**

The feeling of listening to the opening chords to the first song was unimaginable. I recognized it immediately, _Put You In Your Place._ Everyone around me erupted into screams and applause, like a vibrating organism, and Edward and I were one of them. His lips pulled away from mine and his eyes sparkled with excitement as he turned to yell towards the stage.

The sounds of the instruments radiating through the amps was deafening, and very exciting. I felt my adrenaline pump hard through my veins as my heart rate picked up along with the lead guitar. The bright blue, red, and yellow lights flashed brightly in the dying sunlight as a cloud of fake smoke puffed out around the stage and towards the audience. I felt myself becoming lost in the crowd and in the music. The sensation was like nothing I had ever experienced before. My body was vibrating from the many feet stomping around me and from the sounds of the instruments radiating through the amps.

My heart was beating so fast, I felt myself unable to stand still. I threw my hands up with Edward and bounced my head to the beat. His arm was still around me and I felt him pull me towards his chest so that he could hold our hands over our heads as he moved steadily to the beat behind me. The fact that he was still aware of me through all of the screams and the loud music was beyond me.

When the lead vocalist began singing his ass off into the mic, I had to jump around to try to get a better look. Everyone around me was doing the exact same thing, but unfortunately with my 5 foot, 3 inch self; I was having a really hard time.

"Come here," Edward yelled as he bent down in front of me. "On my shoulders."

I stared at him in surprise and shook my head.

Edward chuckled at my expression before he stood up and reached for my face.

"Bella," he said in a loud voice. "I won't drop you, I promise. Get on my shoulders so that you can see the band play."

I shook my head again, which caused him to laugh loudly.

"Come on baby, you'll be fine. I promise!"

I felt a hard pull in my chest from his words. Baby. He called me baby. I was so stunned I just stood there staring at him like a hypnotized little girl.

Edward ducked down in front of me again before he pulled my right leg over his shoulder. I staggered drunkenly and grabbed his beanie covered head and the hoodie he was wearing for support. He slid his left arm around my left leg and soon I was seated perfectly onto his shoulders.

_Please don't drop me!_ I screamed into my head. _Please don't drop me!_

With perfect balance and ease, Edward stood up and immediately all thoughts and worries left my mind. My eyes were momentarily blinded when a beam of light shot over my face, but once my vision cleared my heart swelled from the sight before me. I could see the vocalist, the lead guitarist and the bassist bouncing around and totally rocking out to their song and I could barely make out the words the singer sang over the loud base guitar. _Seeing_ them play live was just as amazing as hearing them play live. I threw my hands up and screamed towards the stage, already forgetting that I was sitting on a beautiful boys shoulders or the fact that my lip was protesting against my open mouth.

From the height I was at, I could almost see everything. My eyes flickered around to the audience who pulsed together, mimicking the beat of my heart. Hands were up and held forward towards the stage and everyone screamed out the lyrics to the songs in time with the singer. I felt myself doing the same, screaming out the words until my throat grew soar. We were standing in the middle of the crowd and I could see, up ahead, a mosh pit starting to break out. Everyone was shoving and pushing forward, trying to get a better glimpse of the band. Just watching it happen was an intense experience. I felt truly pumped up and happy as I watching the band play through three more songs. It was exhilarating.

The only time I was actually aware of Edward was when he would brush his warm hands over my bare thighs or when he'd begin bobbing to the music. And every time he did this, I would brush my hand gently against his cheek. Sometimes he would turn and look up at me, his eyes gleaming bright and green in the night.

"Put me down!" I called down to him.

"Why?" he asked.

"I want to kiss you." My voice was a little weaker, but he still heard me.

He smiled and ducked before easily pulling me off of his shoulders. When he stood up we stared at each other for a minute. It was like time had stopped. Everyone around us was screaming and jumping and the base from the music was thumping through my heart. But we continued to stand still, swallowed up in our own little bubble. He was so beautiful as he gazed down at me with his crooked smile on his lips. I could see some sweat glitter on his forehead and his beanie was only barely hanging onto his head.

I reached up and gently slid my fingertips along his cheek and jaw. His smile faded as some unfamiliar emotion played across his eyes as he reached up and slowly ran his fingers through my hair, just above my ear. The atmosphere around us was electric and I wanted nothing more than to fuck Edward, right there, in the middle of the field. I knew he wanted it too by the way he was looking at me. There was a longing in his eyes as he gazed down on me. That longing was mirrored in my chest and between my thighs. I wanted him so bad; it was all I could do to keep myself from forcefully humping his leg. I threw myself at him then, crushing my lips against his. But as soon as my lips forcefully made contact with his, I regretted it. Pain shot through my jaw and lip and I cried out in pain, pulling away from him.

"Ow! Ow!" I moaned as I gently placed my palm over my bruised jaw.

"I'm so sorry," Edward said with wide worried eyes, his hands gesturing uselessly around my face.

"Its not your fault," I said through clenched teeth.

"What?" he asked leaning in closer to me. He couldn't hear me over the music.

I shook my head, chuckling softly to myself.

We stared at each other for another minute until someone suddenly came bumping hard against us. It was Mike and he was drunk.

"Woo!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Edward and I laughed and turned to face the concert again.

"Look who I found!" Mike yelled as he gestured towards the tall blond guy I had met at Emmett's party. "And you will not believe what he brought with him!"

"Riley," Edward said as he shook Riley's hand.

"He's got some of that medical shit, Ed!" Mike slurred drunkenly as he bobbed his head to the music.

My eyes flickered between the three of them.

"You want a hit?" Riley asked Edward as he pulled a white pipe shaped like a cigarette from his coat pocket.

"No thanks, man," Edward said, shaking his head.

Riley gave Edward an inquisitive look before he turned to me.

"What about the lady?" Riley asked.

"No thanks," I said.

"Are you sure?" Riley asked again. "Its pretty good. You wont regret it."

"I'm sure," I giggled before I turned towards Edward.

Edward smiled down at me before he turned towards the stage, bouncing his head in time with the song.

Just then, Rosalie, Emmett and the rest of our friends showed up. I watched as Riley and Mike offered some weed to the rest of them. Everyone took a couple of hits, everyone besides Emmett, Alice, Edward and myself.

I tried my best to enjoy the rest of the concert after that, but the awkwardness between Rosalie, Jasper and I was so fucking distracting. Jasper kept throwing me sad pathetic looks while Rosalie kept throwing him angry and frustrated glares. I couldn't figure Jasper out and it was starting to annoy me. If he really felt that bad about what had happened, then why didn't he just apologize to me already and get it over with? He was obviously sulking and acting like a weirdo, which was just pissing everyone off, including myself. I turned away from him and tried to casually melt into Edward's side.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked. He seemed to have felt my anxiety.

"Nothing," I said as I turned to look at him.

Edward's eyebrows pulled together in a frown as he searched my face.

"Everyone is still acting weird," I answered honestly. "It's killing my buzz." I said this last part with a small condescending eye roll.

Edward cracked a smile as he slid his arm back around my shoulders.

We stood there for only a minute, bouncing on the balls of our feet to the music, when Rosalie came up to me.

"Angela is drunk and she wants me to go with her to pee somewhere," Rosalie moaned into my face.

"Where's Alice?" I asked.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. I assumed that meant that she didn't know, or she didn't care. I wasn't really sure.

"I'll be right back," I said to Edward as I slid out of his arm and followed Rosalie to where Angela stood hopping awkwardly on her feet.

We followed Angela through the thick crowd towards the parking lot. We walked along rows of parked cars until she found a dark spot between two unknown trucks. I watched as Angela pulled her panties down.

"What are you doing?" I asked surprised.

"What does it look like, Bells?" Angela giggled. "I need to pee."

"She always does this," Rose said close to my ear.

I turned away towards the concert and crossed my arms over chest. Listening to Angela giggle drunkenly as her piss sprayed onto the concrete was making me feel really angry about missing some of the concert. I was almost completely sober now, my jaw was hurting and I wasn't having that much fun anymore. I wanted to be with Edward.

My eyes traveled over the many vehicles to a group of boys who were smoking weed by a dark sedan. They were talking loudly and looked drunk and strangely familiar. One of them caught my eye and turned to face me. Getting a better view of his face, I recognized him immediately.

"Shit," I hissed as I flipped my hair over my shoulder to hide my face. "Ang, some guys have spotted us. Hurry up."

I listened to Angela giggle as she pulled her underwear back up.

The guy who had spotted us gestured to his friends before he turned to walk over.

"It's them," I whispered to Rosalie.

Rosalie glanced at me with bloodshot eyes before she turned towards the group of guys.

"Who?" she asked.

"Those guys we bumped in to the last time we were in Port Angeles," I murmured.

I turned towards Rosalie and watched the recognition play across her face.

"Oh," she gasped. "Them."

"Ang, lets go," I said harshly as I gripped Angela's elbow and tried to tow her towards a crowd of people.

Angela staggered and slipped, falling hard onto the dark concrete. I quickly tugged the hem of her skirt down to cover her exposed panties.

"Get your ass up, Angela," Rosalie snarled as she reached for her other arm.

Angela laughed hysterically as she got back unsteadily to her feet.

"Hey!" a loud masculine voice called out to us.

My head jerked up to see a brawny guy walk quickly towards us. He had a wide smile on his face and the expression made my stomach churn. I recognized him as the guy who had approached Rosalie the last time we had seen him.

"I remember you. I'm Paul." He stuck his hand out to introduce himself to Rosalie.

"I'm Angela," Angela laughed loudly as she held her hand out to him.

Rosalie sneered and shoved Angela roughly as she tried to push past this Paul guy.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," he said, grabbing Rosalie's arm. "It's very rude to walk away without introducing yourself."

"Oh yeah?" Rosalie's voice was high and condescending. "Well, its rude to put your hands on people with out asking for permission first."

I watched as she pulled her arm roughly from his grasp. This caused him to rebound towards her and I gasped at the angry expression on his face.

"Let go of me, asshole," Rosalie snarled.

"Rose," I murmured. I felt fear rip through me as I watched the exchange.

"Those are some dirty words for such a pretty girl," he murmured close to her face. "You've got a big mouth. I like that."

Paul gripped his crotch suggestively.

I let my grip on Angela drop as I stepped forward beside Rosalie.

"Leave her alone," I said in a shaky, but stern voice.

I watched as Paul's eyes flickered lustfully over me before his friends suddenly approached. My mind was working quickly as I took in the scene. His four friends walked casually towards us, and they all had a similar eager expression on their faces. I also noticed that the mediator wasn't there. My eyes flickered to Rosalie, who stood apprehensive with Paul's hand still on her arm.

_Fuck_.

"What's going on over here?" a guy in a black t-shirt asked. He was tall and tanned with thick muscles.

"Just making some new friends," Paul said. His voice was practically a purr.

The four other guys made a circle around us. I glanced at Angela and saw that she was back on the floor, nursing an injured knee. I frowned down at her.

"I'm Jared. What's your name?" The guy with the black t-shirt asked me.

I gulped and looked up to meet his gaze. He was much taller than me and much bigger. My eyes flickered over towards the concert, my heart calling out to Edward.

"Come on guys," I said shakily. "We're just here to watch the concert."

My eyes met Jared's and he was looking at me like he was ready to satisfy a craving.

"So are we," Jared said. "But it seems your friend was being rude to my boy."

"I wasn't being rude to anyone," Rosalie snapped. "Tell your dog to get his hands off of me."

"Rose," I pleaded.

Did she not realize that we were outnumbered by a gang of big buff guys in the middle of a dark parking lot?

"Who the fuck are you calling a dog?" Paul snarled at Rosalie. "You need to be taught a lesson, little girl."

I watched as Paul shook Rosalie roughly by the arm.

"Please," I gasped. "Leave her alone."

I moved forward to try to protect Rosalie when thick arms suddenly wrapped themselves around my torso. I gasped, my air flying from my lungs.

"Hey asshole!" someone suddenly yelled.

The sounds of heavy feet moving quickly towards us caused me to whip my head around. That's when I saw Edward, Emmett, Mike, Tyler, Eric, Riley, and Austin approach us. Edward and Emmett were in front, both moving angrily towards us with their chests puffed out. I sighed out in instant relief when I saw Edward's face.

"Put her down," Edward said in a deep growl as he rushed towards Jared and I.

Edward didn't wait for the guy to let me go before he suddenly shoved Jared hard on the shoulder against a parked car. I gasped and fell when Jared's grasp on me loosened from the impact of Edward's shove.

Once I was free, I crawled quickly towards Angela. The parking lot was chaotic with yells and groans and loud smacking sounds. I glanced around me, Emmett was hitting Paul and Tyler was hitting another guy. Everyone was fighting, but my eyes were focused mostly on Edward. I watched as he threw a hard punch against Jared's jaw, the impact forcing them both to crash to the ground. But Edward regained his composure quickly, and through punch after punch into he man's face. I watched the scuffle for a minute before Tyler rushed over to them.

"Edward lets go," Tyler said as he reached to pull Edward off of the guy.

Edward let Tyler pull him to his feet just as he threw one last kick to the guys face. I flinched as blood spurted from the guys nose onto the dark concrete.

"Come here," Edward said in a deep voice as he bent down and reached for me.

I held my arms open towards him like a scared little girl.

"We're leaving!" he yelled out to Emmett as he pulled me to my feet and practically carried me towards his car.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Yes," I murmured as I clung to his shoulder.

He unlocked his doors and then gently pushed me into the back seat. A few seconds later, Rosalie was climbing in beside me while Emmett moved towards the front.

"Can you drive?" Emmett asked Edward.

Edward let out a loud huff as he started the car and peeled out towards the main road.

"What the fuck, Rosalie?" Emmett suddenly said as he rounded on her. "Why do you always put yourself in these situations, huh? I can't take you anywhere without you starting a fight with some guy!"

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back. "He was being an asshole and I couldn't put up with his shit! Is it my fault guys are always assholes to me? I'm like a magnet for douchebags."

"And rapists," Emmett finished for her. "God dammit! Do you know how worried we were? Why do you always pick fights? You could have just walked away."

"It wasn't that simple," I said in a shaky voice. I could feel the adrenaline pushing through my body and it took all of my self-control to not jump out of the car and run a mile. "Those guys were the same guys from the last time we were here. They're a couple of asshole's who wouldn't leave us alone."

My eyes flickered to the rearview mirror and I stared at the death glare that Edward was throwing towards the road. He looked so angry, so aggressive, like he was ready to kill someone. I gulped and dropped my eyes just as his phone rang.

"Yeah?" he answered acidly.

"_Where are you guys?"_ Tyler's voice was on speaker.

"Heading towards the freeway," Edward said.

"_Lets stop over at Troy's for some burgers,"_ Tyler suggested.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Edward argued.

"_Na, man. Lets get some food and talk about he fact that we just beat the shit out of a couple of guys."_

Edward groaned, shaking his head.

"Lets go, Edward," Emmett said. "You should chill out for a minute before you get on the freeway anyway."

I glanced at the clock. It was only 6.

"We'll meet you there," Edward snarled before he ended the call.

We pulled into a small parking lot beside Tyler's van and I watched as Rosalie and Emmett left the car. Edward didn't move. He just sat there, pinching the bride of his nose.

"Come back here with me," I murmured into the silence of his car.

Edward turned to look at me. I could still see the anger in his eyes.

He reached for the passenger door and shut it closed before he turned to climb into the back seat. Immediately I pulled him towards me and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Are you ok?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Just hold me for a minute," I murmured as I pressed my face against his chest.

He embraced me, wrapping his arms tightly around me and tucking my head beneath his chin.

We sat quietly, just holding each other until Edward finally spoke.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Bella. First the accident with Jasper and now this?" he groaned. "I've never met anyone more liable to suffer from life threatening situations."

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. I'm just…" he huffed. "I'm just so fucking angry. What if… if we hadn't… if that fucker…"

"Shh…" I breathed, silencing his words. "I'm safe now."

"I know you are Bella, but you wouldn't have been if we hadn't shown up." His voice was thick with anger again. "It's taking all of my strength not to turn around and go hunt those assholes down."

I felt a spasm of fear run through me from his threat.

"How are you feeling?" His asked after a few minutes. His voice was tender now.

"Fine," I answered honestly.

"Really?" He sounded surprised. "You don't feel cold or dizzy? Not even sick or anything?"

"No… should I?"

"Honestly, I'm a little surprised you and Rosalie are not totally freaking out over what just happened."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"You could have been _hurt_, Bella."

"I know," I mumbled.

I didn't tell him the reason why I wasn't scared anymore. The truth was that I felt so completely safe with Edward. As soon as I saw his face I knew that I would be all right.

"Let's go get you something to eat," Edward murmured as he sat up.

I sat up with him, watching him rake his hand roughly through his hair before we climbed out of the back seat.

We all sat at two round picnic tables complaining about what had happened at the concert. All of the guys were very upset, scolding Rosalie, Angela and I for taking off without asking one of the guys to go with us. Rosalie and I apologized over and over, thoroughly upset about what had just happened. I could tell Rose was a little shaken up and I ran a soothing hand over her back as I tried to comfort her.

"Seriously, though. What the fuck were you girls thinking?" Tyler asked.

"We weren't, obviously," Rosalie said with a shrug.

"This has been one crazy ass week," Mike said as he took a bite from his burger.

We were all enjoying a bunch of chiliburgers, fries and cokes. Everyone except Edward, who didn't get anything to eat because he complained that he was still too pissed off to even consider a meal. However, he soon began sneaking fries from my tray while trying to sneak bites from my burger. Halfway through my meal, I finally offered it to him, which he took with a wide grin.

"Edward man, I've never seen you so pissed off in my life," Riley laughed as he shoved a handful of fries into his mouth.

"Not true," Rosalie argued. "He was even more pissed off when Jasper hit Bella with the bat."

I sighed and dropped my half eaten fry.

"So that's why your face looks like that," Austen said to me with a grimace.

The tables grew quiet, all eyes on Jasper and me.

"Bella," Jasper suddenly said.

I felt Edward stiffen beside me.

"I want to apologize for what I did," Jasper murmured, his eyes on his hands. "I can't tell you how fucking embarrassed and upset I feel for injuring my best friend's girl." Jasper's eyes finally met mine. "I'm sorry I didn't apologize sooner. I feel like a complete fucking idiot for doing that to you and for hurting you. And I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

I gave him a small smile and a nod before I turned to glance at Edward.

Edward's face was serious as he gazed back at Jasper. He looked like he wanted to say something. But after a moment of silence, he turned away and took a sip from his coke, looking thoroughly pissed off.

"Its about fucking time," Mike said under his breath. He was the first to break the silence.

Everyone continued with their story of how the fight had interrupted the concert. I couldn't help but blame Angela for that and be totally pissed off that I had missed the last few songs, especially my favorite, _Commercial Breakdown_.

"The band was really good, wasn't it?" Angela giggled. She was still a little drunk, which annoyed me even further. The stupid girl didn't even realize that she and her _friends_ had been sexually harassed by a bunch of meatheads.

At around 7:30, we all gave each other quick goodbyes before we headed home. The drive back to Forks was quiet and soon we were pulling up to Rosalie's house.

"Bye," Rose said as she leaned in to give me a hug.

"I'll call you later," I said as I hugged her back softly.

"I'll see you later, bro," Emmett said as he climbed out after Rosalie.

I took the opportunity to jump into the front seat with Edward.

"Are you still mad?" I asked as we drove quietly towards Charlie's house.

"Yes," he answered honestly.

"Jasper apologized," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know," Edward sighed. "Taking care of you is starting to feel like a full time job," Edward mused, letting the topic of Jasper drop.

I glanced up at him in surprise.

"With all these guys attacking you or hitting you with bats, I'm going to have to become your own personal bodyguard."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face from hearing the playfulness in his tone.

"Seriously Bella," Edward continued. All traces of playfulness were now long gone. "Please don't go walking around on your own in some unfamiliar place."

"I wasn't alone," I argued.

"I know," he snapped. I watched as his blazing eyes stared straight ahead. He was angry again. "Walking around with only a stoned Rosalie and a drunk Angela in the dark at some high school festival or concert is almost like walking around alone."

I flinched. I felt guilty about not asking Edward to come with us. I knew he was right. It was stupid for us to take off by ourselves.

Edward pulled into Charlie's driveway, and looking around I noticed that my father wasn't home.

"Are you still going to invite me over for cake tomorrow?" Edward asked in a low voice.

I glanced at him to see him watching me with a small smile on his lips. His mood swings were making me dizzy, but I accepted them with a smile anyway.

"Yes," I said as a hot blush crept up my cheeks.

"Have you told Charlie yet?" he asked.

"No," I answered honestly.

"When are you going to tell him?"

Edward leaned forward to tuck my hair behind my ear and I felt my heart flutter from his touch.

"I don't know," I whispered. "Tomorrow?"

"What time should I come over?" he asked as he leaned in to brush his nose against mine.

"Um… noon?" My voice was trembling now.

"Noon sounds good," he breathed.

His breath washed over my face, and I had to forcefully gulp down the saliva that pooled in my mouth.

Edward leaned down and brushed his lips very softly against mine, causing me to whimper and lightly push my face towards him involuntarily.

He pulled slowly away while chuckling at my lack of self-restraint.

"Why aren't you as desperate for a kiss as I am?" I asked softly.

"I am desperate," Edward responded. His voice was like honey running down my spine and I shivered against him. "But I don't want to hurt you."

"Please," I whimpered as I tried, unsuccessfully, to press my lips against his.

Edward groaned just as his tongue darted out to graze against my upper lip.

I gasped at the sensation and tried again to suck his lip into my mouth.

Just as my lips made contact with his, he pulled away and dipped his head to kiss a quick path down my jaw before he sucked the smooth skin of my neck into his mouth.

I moaned unconsciously as a shock ran through my body, making me quiver against him.

"Bella," Edward breathed as he unbuckled the top button on my shirt. "Charlie will be here any minute."

"I don't care," I whined.

Edward released two more buttons before he pushed my shirt and blazer off of my left shoulder so that he could gently suck my skin into his mouth. I whimpered again and ran my hands up his arms and into his hair.

His lips traveled over my shoulder and then up my neck before he sucked my earlobe into his mouth.

I moaned and tugged roughly on his left arm. I heard him groan low and deep in his chest before his left hand quickly thrust between my thighs to feel my wetness that was now seeping through my panties and stupid yoga shorts. His fingers fumbled recklessly for a moment before he shoved the thick fabric away and rubbed his middle finger against my arousal.

"Fuck," I choked out as his fingers moved to rub once against my clit.

"Take these off," Edward gasped huskily into my ear.

I obliged without hesitation. I quickly kicked off my boots and reached under my skirt to pull my shorts along with my panties down my legs and off of my feet. I barely noticed when Edward pulled the material from me before tossing it into the backseat out of sight.

He hovered over me and reclined my seat slightly before his left hand began its journey up my bare thigh. I opened my legs, placing my right foot onto the dash, willing him access to my lady bits.

My breath was coming out in loud heaves as I watched his hand slip under my skirt. I pulled the lame teal fabric away from my crotch, eager to see what his hand was going to do to me.

"You want to watch?" Edward's voice was like velvet as he slid his fingertips through my folds, against my clit.

I moaned loudly before I raised my head to meet his gaze.

His eyes were ravenous as he gazed down at me and I watched as his tongue rolled out to lick hungrily over his bottom lip.

"I want to kiss you so fucking bad," he murmured into the still air.

And then his finger slid into me, stretching me.

I gasped and dropped my gaze down to his hand. I watched him slide his middle finger in and out of me very slowly, his finger immediately coated in my wetness as it glittered in the moonlight. And then he pushed a second finger into me just as his thumb pressed circles into my clit. My head jerked back as the spring in my stomach began to tighten.

"Oh God," I groaned as I clamped my eyes shut.

"You're so fucking hot Bella," Edward moaned softly against my cheek before he bent to suck softly against my neck.

It was all too much for me; I could feel my climax reaching its peak. My hands slid to grip the thick leather on either side of the passenger seat as I prepared myself.

"Edward," I whimpered shakily. "I'm gonna cum."

His hand thrust faster against me as he picked up the tempo and I felt myself jerk against him, eagerly meeting his thrusts. His mouth was sucking feverishly against my neck and his fingers were curling and dipping quickly into me.

And then I came. I cried out into the car as my hips jerked involuntarily against his hand as wave after wave of my climax washed through me. Edward ceased his thrusting, and sat with his forehead against my shoulder as I contracted and pulsed around his fingers.

Slowly, he pulled his fingers out of me and wiped them on the bottom of his shirt. I blushed as I pulled my legs together, praying that I didn't leave too much of a mess on his leather seat.

My body felt numb as I sat there, trying to regain my composure.

"Are you ok?" Edward asked.

I looked up at him to see him smiling cockily down at me. But I noticed, that through the cocky smile, his eyes were chiefly full of desire. My eyes flickered to the obvious bulge in his pants and then back to his eyes. His smile faltered as he gazed back at me hungrily.

"Are _you_ ok?" I asked teasingly, though my voice was barely louder than a croaked whisper.

"I'll be alright," he breathed as he took in my disheveled appearance.

Just then, bright headlights flashed through the back windshield.

"Shit," I hissed through my teeth as I sat up and began searching for my panties.

"My underwear," I groaned. "Where is it?"

Edward turned and reached in the back seat, retrieving only my yoga shorts.

"Here," he said, handing them to me.

I looked at him, my eyes asking where the rest of my undergarments were. But there wasn't any time to ask out loud. As soon as I heard Charlie's car door shut, adrenaline coursed through me and I quickly yanked my shorts on before fitting my feet into my boots. Edward looked me over before he rolled down the driver's window.

"Charlie," he greeted with a wide smile.

I gaped at how cool and composed he looked; whereas I felt like a flustered little kitten. I jumped out of his car, grabbed my backpack and turned towards Charlie.

"Hey dad," I said as I moved towards the front porch.

"Hey there, Edward," Charlie said before he raised his hand to look, very pointedly at his watch. "9 o'clock. Not bad."

I laughed, a little too loudly, which caused Charlie to look questioningly at me. I flipped my hair over my shoulder to hide the blush that crept up my face.

"Goodnight sir," Edward said with a nod. "Goodnight Bella."

Edward's eyes lingered on me and I saw a ghost of a smile play on his lips as he pulled out of the driveway and sped down the street towards his home.

"How was the concert?" Charlie asked as he turned towards the house.

I sighed, my heart fluttering wildly in my chest as I followed Charlie through the front door.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Damn! I've gotten so many new readers and reviewers and followers! I have also been added to a few more Communities, which is awesome. I want to thank everyone so much for sticking with my story!**

_**Jennifer Marie**_**, you are so awesome, and I wish you had an account so that I could respond to all of your reviews!**

**As I've stated previously, there may be some grammatical errors, so let me know if you see something out of whack and I'll fix it.**

**And don't worry; I will be posting the next couple of chapters tomorrow evening and Monday evening as well, but that does depend on how many reviews I get. Lol ;)**

**Keep up the reviews, friends! I LOVE REVIEWS! :D **

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	19. Chapter 19: Nightmares

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Nightmares**

_I opened my eyes to a familiar place. I was in Port Angeles, at the Sunshine Underground concert. However, I knew, in some corner of my consciousness that I was dreaming. I glanced around, recognizing the glow of the blue and yellow lights by the stage. I could hear the music thumping out of the amps, the sound a dull ache against my eardrums. I looked towards the stage and the crowd of people and knew that if I found the stage, I'd be able to find Edward. I tried to follow the sound of the music as best as I could, but someone suddenly gripped my hand, pulling me back towards the dark parking lot._

_It was Rosalie._

"_Rose? What's wrong?" I asked._

_Her face was frightened, shining with tears in the moonlight as she yanked me with all her strength back towards the parking lot. I tried to resist her, but I couldn't._

"_I don't want to go into the dark," I complained. "I want to find Edward."_

"_Run, Bella! You have to run!" she cried._

"_Why?" I asked._

_I tried my best to yank myself out of her grasp, but she wouldn't let me. Her grip on my hand moved to my body where she threw her arms around my torso. I yelped and tried to free myself as she carried me towards the dark parking lot. But it wasn't Rose who was carrying me anymore. It was Jared. I could hear his deep laugh over me and I watched in horror as his group of friends came walking out of the shadows, behind cars and trucks from every direction._

"_Rosalie!" I screamed. _

_But she was gone. _

_I felt the group of men close in around me, their hands outstretched towards me. I screamed and clawed at Jared's arms, but my feeble attempt to free myself did nothing against his iron strength._

I woke with a start, a cold sweat covering my face and chest. I could feel the fear and paranoia pumping through my veins as I glanced around my room. It was still dark. My pulse beat furiously in my chest and in my head as my eyes flickered towards every dark corner of my room. I sat there for almost a whole hour, trying to get my wits about me until I finally got up and practically ran to the bathroom.

I took a long hot shower and did my best not to relive my nightmare. I guessed Edward was right. I was totally freaked out about what had happened yesterday. It seemed that his presence had only momentarily extinguished the fear and shock when he was around, but my ease didn't last after he had gone.

Last night, when I had finally went to bed at around 11:30; it had taken me almost two hours to finally fall asleep. I could feel the exhaustion in my body as I hung my head and let the hot water wash over me.

Returning back to my room, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little after 6 in the morning. I sighed and got dressed.

I chose a pair of faded, light blue skinny jeans, a plain white V-neck t-shirt and pulled on some socks before I walked over to my big box of books. I dug through the many stacks until I found the recipe book my mom had bought me for my sixteenth birthday.

I turned on my lamp and crawled onto my bed in search of a good cake recipe. I found one that looked good, but complicated. I decided I wanted to make the cake and the frosting from scratch. The ingredients called for some supplies I didn't already have in the kitchen. Some unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, confectioners sugar, buttermilk, a bar of semisweet chocolate, and vanilla extract.

I sighed, and placed a bookmark against the spine to keep my page before I got up and slipped on my black and white checkered vans.

Downstairs I made some coffee and sat for an hour eating a bowl of cereal while playing an easy Sudoku puzzle on the back of the cereal box. I chewed slowly because my jaw was still kind of hurting.

"Bell?" Charlie said as he came down stairs. "What are you doing up so early? Its Saturday."

"Couldn't sleep," I answered. "What are you doing up?"

"I always get up at this time."

I watched Charlie pour himself a cup of coffee before taking a seat across from me.

"Dad," I said. "I invited Edward over today."

"What's the occasion?" Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We just wanted to hang out. I'm going to make a cake."

I watched as Charlie eyed me suspiciously.

"Alright," he said. "Well, I'll be watching the game today."

"Cool."

I glanced at the clock. It was 8 now.

"I need to stop by the market, do you want anything?"

He shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee before he stood and made his way over to the front door to collect the morning paper.

I ran upstairs and quickly rubbed some foundation over my purple jaw. The bruises were looking better now. The colors kind of reminded me of a rotten mango or something. There was some green, some yellow, but still some blue and purple. My mouth looked a little better too, though the scab and bruising on my bottom lip was still probably the most prominent thing on my face. I didn't add any eyeliner or style my hair. Instead, I pulled it up into a high ponytail.

I went back to my room and pulled out some cash that I had brought from Arizona. I wanted to make Edward's cake with my own money.

It was 12:10 when I heard a soft knock at the front door. I was just in the middle of separating all of the ingredients for the cake and frosting. I turned to run towards the front door, but Charlie moved faster than me, so all I could do was move around behind him, hot on his heels.

"Hey there, Edward," Charlie said as he stuck his hand out.

"Hello sir," Edward said as he shook Charlie's hand.

"Come on in."

Charlie stepped aside, allowing Edward to walk through the threshold.

I met Edward's gaze and he gave me a small nervous smirk. I grinned softly at him.

"Let me take your jacket," Charlie said.

"Thank you," Edward responded as he shrugged out of his leather jacket.

Edward was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, his black and white converse, and on his head was an orange and white oversized knitted beanie. He was also carrying a large bag of Chinese takeout.

"I like your beanie," I said, my eyes flickering over the detailed designs.

"Thanks. Esme made it," he said with a smile.

"Wow."

"I brought lunch," Edward called, turning towards Charlie.

"Great," Charlie said with a wide smile and rough pat on his stomach.

Edward and I followed Charlie into the living room and we sat around the coffee table, pulling various boxes and chopsticks from the bag. We ate and watched the Seattle Mariners baseball game, offering bits of small talk here and there. Charlie and Edward seemed to get along great. They were bonding over teams and their favorite players, much like Alice had done the last time she was here.

"Have you heard? The LA Dodgers are doing great this season," Edward mused as he took a bite of his Mongolian beef.

I sat, quietly amazed as I watched Edward squirt package after package of Sriracha hot sauce onto his meat and vegetables.

"You like spicy food?" I asked, interrupting their _bromance_.

Edward glanced at me and then down at his food with a chuckle.

"Surprised?" he asked me.

"Not really," I answered honestly.

I ate half of my food, noodles and tofu because Edward said it would be gentle on my jaw, before I got up and went back into the kitchen. Everything was laid out right where I left it. The butter and eggs were at room temperature, and the coffee was hot and freshly brewed.

As I began sifting together the dry ingredients, I heard a soft whistle coming from the kitchen doorway.

"That's a lot of ingredients," Edward mused as leaned against the counter beside me.

"I'm making it from scratch," I responded. "The frosting too."

He nodded with a wide smile on his face as he glanced around the littered counter top. He stayed with me for a while, while I prepared the wet ingredients and even helped me clean up during the process. Once I was finished with one bowl or with some of the condiments, he would wash the dish or replace the various components back in the fridge or in the right cabinets.

"How was your night?" he asked me suddenly.

I glanced up, surprised to see him studying my face.

"Alright," I said.

"You look tired," he said in a low voice.

He moved closer to me and gently rubbed the back of his hand against my cheek.

"I had a nightmare," I told him.

"Because of last night?"

I nodded.

"I thought you said you were fine."

"I was… until you left." I felt myself blush from telling him the truth.

"What happened?"

I shook my head. I didn't want to relive it.

"What's the coffee for?" Edward asked as I poured some coffee into the cake batter.

He understood that I didn't want to discuss my nightmare and so he quickly changed the subject without making me feel uncomfortable. That was one more thing to add to my list of reason's why I was in love with Edward Cullen.

"It's supposed to help bring out the flavors of the cocoa," I said in a shaky voice. "I don't really get why, but it's supposed to make the chocolate much more…"

"Delicious." Edward finished with a wide smile.

I smirked at his greedy expression.

"Hey, Edward," Charlie called from the living room.

Edward looked at me in surprise before he turned to walk quickly towards the living room. I chuckled under my breath.

"What do you think of Hernandez as pitcher?" Charlie asked.

"For the Mariners?" Edward said. "I don't like him. Iwakuma should be pitching more often."

I giggled again as I listened to them chitchat.

About 45 minutes later, the cakes were layered and I was applying the last bit of chocolate frosting on the top.

"Done," I whispered triumphantly to myself before I collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs.

My body felt drained and sore. I figured it could also be because of dancing around last night at the concert. The concert. I rolled my eyes and pulled the rubber band out of my hair. I was still angry that my first concert turned into a disaster because of Angela and those stupid college guys. I sighed and rubbed my tongue softly over the scab on my lip. It wasn't really hurting anymore.

"Hey," Edward said as he walked back into he kitchen.

My eyes flickered along his body, over his wide, swaying shoulders and muscular chest. That t-shirt he wore held little to the imagination. I could see everything through the thin fabric.

Edward took a seat beside me at the table and I watched as his arms flexed as he lowered himself. His face was clean-shaven again today.

"You look cute," I whispered as I ran my fingers through my hair.

He turned to glance at me. His eyes looked hooded and insecure as he gazed back at me. I knew that if he wasn't so perfect he'd be blushing right now.

Edward gripped the bottom of my chair and slowly slid me towards him. The sound of the chair scrapping the linoleum was muted by the announcer's voice, coming from the baseball game.

His hands cupped my face softly before he ran his thumbs gently over my injured lip and bruised jaw. I was amazed that he still found me attractive even with the ugly discoloration on my face and my mangled lip.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed softly to me. It was as if he could read my mind.

I felt myself blush hot in his hands and I lowered my eyes to his full lips. I could see every freckle and every tiny hair follicle on his perfect face. He smelled like old spice, clean laundry and even a little like the Chinese food. And I noticed that there wasn't even the tiniest hint of a cigarette today.

He leaned forward and brushed his nose against mine before he gently sucked my upper lip into his mouth. I moaned softly as his tongue swept out and grazed my lip. He kissed me again, his tongue pushing forcefully into my mouth and sucking hard before he released me and placed a gentle peck on my injured bottom lip.

"How about that cake?" Charlie's voice came booming out of the living room.

Edward and I pulled quickly away from each other as Charlie's heavy feet approached.

"It's all done," I said, as I nervously stood up reached for a knife.

"Maybe I should do that," Edward said. He gripped my wrist and gently pulled the knife from my hand.

I stared at him with a frown.

"You are a magnet for trouble," Edward said. "And I'll do what I can to avoid you causing yourself any accidents."

I rolled my eyes and turned to grab a few plates.

Edward cut three large slices from the cake, which I protested against because I didn't want that big of a slice, and then the three of us sat at the kitchen table with forks and eager expressions.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I called out before either of them were able to take their first bite. "If you don't like it, just tell me alright? I can handle the truth."

Edward chuckled softly before he scooped a big bite into his mouth. He moaned instantly in delight.

"So good," Edward said as he licked the frosting from his upper lip.

I swallowed thickly and tried my best not to look as aroused as I felt.

"This is delicious, Bell," Charlie murmured round his bite of cake.

I sighed and scooped a small bite into my mouth. They were right. It was good. My taste buds reacted instantly and I scooped up a larger portion for my second bite. The frosting was perfect, fluffy and delicious. But the cake itself was a little dry for my taste.

"Its _ok_," I murmured.

"It's better than ok, Bella." Edward's voice was laced with disapproval.

I glanced up at him and chuckled when I saw him lick the frosting off of his spoon. I was surprised that something so gross made my body react the way it did. Heat flooded my underwear as I watched his tongue slide along the silverware. I had to clear my throat and drop my gaze, in fear that I might dive over the table and attack him.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I glanced at Charlie, relieved to see that his eyes were focused on his slice of cake.

Just then, Charlie's work pager beeped from his gun belt, which was hanging on the coatrack beside the front door.

"What is it?" I asked as Charlie looked at the ancient piece of technology.

"I've got to head over to the station," he said before he turned to gaze down at Edward and I. "I'll be back in an hour. No funny business, all right?"

I didn't miss the way his eyes lingered on Edward.

"Yes sir," Edward said with nod.

"You call me if you need anything, Bella," Charlie said to me before he shrugged into his jacket and left the room.

Edward and listened to the front door shut behind my father before we turned to face each other.

"Thank you for the cake," Edward said with a smirk as he sat up and took his and Charlie's empty plates to the sink.

I got up and stood behind him.

"Do you want to go to my room?" I asked.

Edward glanced at me over his shoulder, his eyes roaming over my body.

"Sure," he said after he quickly washed and dried his hands.

I turned and he followed me silently up the stairs.

Once we were in my room, I walked over to my box of CD's looking for something we could listen too. My heart was thudding uncomfortably fast and I felt my hands shake.

I turned and glanced at Edward over my shoulder. He was leaning against my window frame with his arms crossed over his chest, watching me. I gulped and turned back towards the box of music.

"Um…" I cringed when I heard the soft tremor in my voice. "How about the Strokes?" I asked.

"Sure."

I sat up and walked slowly towards the CD player beside my bed. I didn't know why I was suddenly so nervous. It was as if I knew something was about to happen and I was preparing myself for it.

I placed the disc in the compartment and hit play. _Is This It_ was the first song on the album.

I stood there for a moment, my eyes on the small CD player before I turned to face Edward. His eyes were still on me and he was still leaning casually against the window frame. There was an expression on his face that I couldn't figure out. It looked like a mix between curiosity and need. Like he was expecting me to say something. Like he was preparing himself for something too.

I felt myself blush beneath his gaze.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked in a small voice.

Edward's eyes jerked away from me as he shook his head.

"Tell me," I pushed.

"I wasn't really thinking anything specific," he murmured.

When he finally raised his eyes again, they looked hungry. The sexual tension between us was suddenly so thick you could cut it with a knife. I knew he sensed it too. I could see it in his eyes.

He lowered his arms and moved towards me before he gently stroked my neck with the back of his knuckles. His touch caused goose bumps to break out over my body and I shivered involuntarily.

"I want you," Edward whispered as he placed his forehead against mine. "So bad."

A soft whimper escaped my lips as I leaned into him and pressed my chest against his.

"I want you too," I said.

His hands snaked their way threw my hair, and then down my back along my spine. The way I trembled against him was embarrassing, but uncontrollable. And where he touched me, a fire ignited beneath my skin. It was as if my body was thirsty for his touch. My hands moved of their own accord; rubbing against his hips before they slipped up beneath his shirt. His skin was hot against my palms and fingertips and I felt his breath quiver as my hands slid over his ribcage. And then I quickly tugged his shirt over his head.

"Bella," Edward groaned huskily as I rubbed my fingertips against his naked chest. "I don't want to wait anymore."

I nodded just as he leaned down and sucked my upper lip into his mouth. I could tell he was being gentle with me. He didn't want to hurt me, but he couldn't resist either. His lips moved quickly over my mouth while his tongue plunged, seeking friction against mine. I had to pull away, in fear that I might accidently hurt my jaw.

Edward took the opportunity to pull my shirt hastily over my head before he dipped to suck roughly against my collarbone. I gasped and pulled him towards my bed before we collapsed onto the small mattress. Edward moved me towards the center of the bed and pushed himself between my legs. His hands and mouth were eager as they roamed over my body, kneading my breasts and ass.

My hand dipped between us and I rubbed his hard erection softly through his jeans. He groaned shakily against my neck before he sat back on his heels.

I watched his hands work. He quickly pulled my shoes off before he reached for my jeans. He quickly undid the button and then gripped my pants, along with my underwear and hastily slid them down my hips and off of my legs. His breath was coming in shallow gasps as my legs fell open in front of him.

"You're so fucking beautiful, baby," he groaned as he bent to kiss a path over my ribs and down to my pelvis.

I felt my hips jerk against him involuntarily as my arousal pooled between my thighs. I tugged softly against his jeans and tried, with trembling fingers to undo the button on his pants. He sat up again and undid his zipper before pulling his jeans and boxers down his hips and off his legs.

I gulped as I took in the size of his erection. It looked too big. I did a quick calculation in my head, measuring the width of his two fingers against the girth of his dick and knew that it was going to hurt to have him inside of me.

"Um…" I said shakily. "Uh… do you… do you have a… a…."

"Yeah," Edward said. He turned and pulled his wallet from his jean pocket and withdrew a condom.

I gulped again as I watched him tear the package open before slipping the thin latex onto his swollen penis.

"Wow," I gasped. The anticipation was making my body practically vibrate. "This is really happening." My breath was coming out hard and heavy.

My words seemed to have triggered something inside of Edward because he suddenly paused, his eyes scrutinizing my expression.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he leaned down towards me.

"Y-yes," I said shakily.

"Baby, if you're too scared we don't have to do this." He sounded sincere, but I could still hear a hint of regret in his hoarse voice.

"No, I want to!" I said quickly. "I'm just nervous."

"I know," he said. "But are you sure you want to? I don't' want to push you."

I felt his erection brush against my clit and I jerked towards him unconsciously. Through my nerves, I knew that I was ready. I wanted this, badly.

His eyes roamed over my face just as his hand slid between us to touch my sex. I felt his fingers dip into my wetness before he slid them up to circle my clit.

I gasped against his touch and jerked against him once more.

"Just try to relax," Edward breathed huskily as his finger slid into me.

I nodded, trying my best to concentrate only on how good his finger felt inside of me. My hands slid over his arms, feeling the way his muscle flexed against my touch. His eyebrows were pulled together in concentration as he gazed deep into my eyes. He didn't need to ask me if I was ready. His fingers moved quickly into my body, loosening me up. He knew I was ready for him now.

His fingers were suddenly replaced by the warm latex of his covered penis. I felt his wet hand grip my hip as he pushed the head of his dick into me.

"Ohh… shit…" I moaned as his girth pulled against my walls.

He didn't stop though; he continued to push into me, all the way, until he filled me completely. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I let out a strangled moan.

Edward too was gasping above me, restraining himself.

"You ok?" he asked. His voice was thick and hoarse.

I nodded.

Having Edward fully inside of me hurt, but it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. Slowly, he slid out half way before he pushed back into me. Through the pain, I felt pleasure now and I moaned in relief.

"More," I whispered into his face.

His hard mask of concentration smoothed out as he slid slowly out and then back into me again, just as he bent to kiss me gently on the mouth. His scent was intoxicating, all musky Old Spice and sex and just Edward. Within seconds, he developed a steady rhythm. His movements were slow, deliberate strides. I could feel every inch of him sliding inside of me, pushing into me as far as he could go.

And soon, the ache in my pussy was forgotten as the spring in tummy began to tighten.

His mouth moved to my neck, and then to my left breast after he tugged the thin fabric away from my body so that he could suck and gently scraping his teeth against the supple mound. I lifted my hips in response, letting Edward push deeper into me.

My hands moved of their own accord, running down the tight muscles of his chest and stomach and then over the smooth planes of his back, which was covered in a light sheen of sweat. His breathing was soft, but ragged above me, his breath washing deliciously over my face. I could taste him on my tongue.

Edward sat back onto his heels suddenly, his arm sliding beneath my ass, pulling my hips up to meet his thrusts. I gazed up at him, still lying flat on my back. His thrusts held a new deepness and it was much more pleasurable. I let out soft moan involuntarily.

His eyes took in my naked body beneath him, roaming over every part of me before finally settling on my face. He smiled down crookedly at me, obviously enjoying how good he was making me feel. My eyes flickered unsteadily over his beautiful smile and then down his torso to where his left hand slid over my hip and then down to my clit.

"Oh God," gasped, clenching my eyes shut.

It felt like my body was preparing to burst. The intensity of my climax approaching was overwhelming and almost scary. I cried out, not even bothering to stifle my screams.

I was so close.

"Edward," I gasped, just as he began to pick up the tempo.

My chest heaved erratically, and I had to scream to get the air out of my lungs as he thrust roughly into me. My hands fisted into my hair and the pillows behind me as my orgasm coursed through me like lightning.

My body jerked and quaked beneath him as he rode out all that I had. It was so intense that I felt tears gather in my eyes. But he didn't stop yet. His thrusts continued at the same, quick rhythm for another moment as he bent down towards me to rest his forehead against mine.

I reached for him, sliding my hands over his shoulders. Every now and then he would hold his breath before releasing a strangled gasp. He was close.

I whimpered from the ache in my pussy before I kissed him softly on the lips, letting my tongue slide into his mouth.

"I'm gonna cum, baby," he gasped against my lips. "Fuck."

He released a strangled groan as his body jerked roughly against me. I held him as best as I could with what little strength I had. He choked out a few deep, throaty moans while his dick pulsed repeatedly inside of me.

We stayed like that for a minute, Edward gasping above me while I tried to breath past his weight.

"Sorry," he murmured as he shifted, sliding out of me so that he could rest some of his weight onto the bed.

I winced from the ache in my lower region, but I didn't regret any of it. It was perfect. Better than perfect and better than what I had ever expected.

I could feel myself slip in and out of consciousness, as I lay there, enveloped in Edward's warmth. His head was resting on my shoulder just above my left breast, and his heavy arm was draped over my stomach.

"Bella," he whispered softly to me.

"Hmm?"

"We need to get up," he said. "Charlie's gonna be home soon."

I groaned and turned to kiss him softly on the forehead. I felt him shift above me and then I felt his lips press softly against mine.

I smiled.

"You need to get up," he whispered very softly against my lips.

I shook my head. I didn't want to get up.

"Baby, we could get in trouble," he murmured. "I promised your dad no _funny business_."

"You lied," I murmured back to him.

He chuckled softly.

"You've been calling me 'baby' a lot lately," I mused.

"Because that's what you are. You're my baby, my girl."

I opened my eyes. Edward was laying inches away from me, his eyes level to mine.

"Does that mean… you're my boyfriend?" I asked.

His eyes glowed green as he gazed back at me before he smirked and gave me a small nod.

I giggled and turned away.

"We need to get up, Bella. Charlie will be here soon."

I watched Edward pull away from me before he gathered up his clothes and moved towards my bedroom door.

"I'll be right back," he said nervously.

I didn't miss the way he hid his crotch from my view.

I took that opportunity to pull on a fresh pair of underwear and my jeans and t-shirt. I felt like a wreck, and when I looked in my bedroom mirror, I realized I looked just as sloppy as I felt. I looked like a girl who had just had the best sex of her life.

My cheeks burned again and I could keep the wide, exuberant smile off of my face.

"What's so funny?" Edward's voice came from my doorway.

"Nothing," I said, spinning around.

He smirked knowingly at me before he pulled his beanie onto his head. He looked clean and fresh, but still a little pink on his cheeks and neck. I giggled and wiped the bit of water that lingered on his sideburns. A quick face wash sounded like a good idea.

After I cleaned up a bit, Edward and I went downstairs to wait for Charlie to get home. I noticed that Charlie was already 30 minutes late.

"I wonder where he is," I mused as I flipped through various TV stations.

"I don't know, but I should probably get going," Edward said. He was leaning back against the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked as sleepy as I felt.

"Ok," I said "Do you want to take a slice of cake home with you?"

His eyes instantly lit up as he gazed back at me.

"Yes," he said with a hard chuckle.

I packed him half of the cake and then gave him a quick goodbye kiss just as Charlie pulled up.

"Heading home?" Charlie asked as he made his way over towards the porch.

"Yeah," Edward answered. "My mom doesn't want me home too late."

I tried to fight the smirk that threatened to escape from the glow on Charlie's face. My father was totally eating up Edward's good-boy act.

"I'll see you later Chief Swan," Edward said as he held his hand out.

"Have a good night," Charlie said as he shook Edward's hand and gave him a soft pat on the back.

Edward turned to look at me. He lingered for a moment, just gazing back at me with that crooked smile on his lips before he finally turned towards his car. The smile made my heart flood with happiness and it took all of my willpower not to burst into tears in front of Charlie.

I gave Edward a wave goodbye before I followed Charlie into the house.

We hung out for a few hours, enjoying the leftover Chinese before I finally headed to bed around 9 o'clock. It was the first time I felt so happy and proud to be me. Everything was coming together so perfectly between Edward and I. Our relationship was evolving, transforming into something more serious. The only thing was, did he care about me as much as I cared about him? I was in love with him, deeply and irrevocably. But did he feel the same?

I knew he did on some level. He cared about me, that much was obvious, but I couldn't help but wonder just how deep his affection for me went.

I rubbed my hand over my tummy and then down to my crotch. There was a deep, lingering ache from the sex we'd had earlier. But the ache was a reminder of what had happened today. I was no longer a virgin and Edward had taken my virginity and it was so fucking excellent. I loved every moment and I was surprised that it had felt so damn good. I sighed and then giggled softly to myself before I turned out the lights and snuggled under my blankets.

_I opened my eyes and I was in Port Angeles again. I could hear the concert, and the Sunshine Underground was playing Commercial Breakdown. I knew I was dreaming again, but it didn't stop the fear that began to rise in my chest. I looked towards the stage and the crowd of people. I needed to find Edward. I tried to take my first step, but someone suddenly gripped my hand, pulling me back towards the dark parking lot._

_It was Rosalie again._

"_Run, Bella! You have to run!" she cried._

"_Let me go," I yelled as I tried to pull my hand out of her grasp._

_Her face transformed right before my eyes. A small, terrified whimper escaped my lips as I stared, face to face with Jared._

_He reached for me, his arms sliding forcefully around me, locking me in an iron hold against his chest. I tried to scream, but no sound escaped my lips as he carried me towards the dark, abandoned parking lot._

_Just like last time, I watched in horror as his group of friends came walking out of the shadows, behind cars and trucks around us._

_I felt the group of men close in around me, their hands pulling at my clothes, my arms. _

I woke up with a start, but this time I was much more frightened. The men in my dream had finally reached me. I pushed the blankets away from my body and looked down at my clothes, my arms, and my legs. I was fine. There weren't any scratches or fingerprints. I was fine.

I sobbed softly to myself as I lay back into bed, my eyes darting around my dark room. I felt paralyzed, too frightened to get up.

My eyes flickered to my alarm clock. It was a little after 1 in the morning. I let out a deep breath and reached for my phone. There was only one person I wanted to talk to.

_Are you awake?_ I texted Edward.

I sat, waiting nervously for a little over a minute until my phone buzzed with a new text.

_Kind of. What's up?_ –Edward

_I can't sleep_, I wrote.

My phone buzzed again, but this time with a phone call.

"Hello?" I answered. My voice sounded weak and scared, even in my ears.

"_Did you have another nightmare?"_ Edward's voice was smooth and instantly comforting.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"_You didn't. Do you want to talk about it?"_

"Not really."

"_Do you want me to come over?"_

I hesitated. I did want him to come over, more than anything, but I didn't want to bother him or risk him getting caught.

"_Bella, if you need me, I can be there for you."_

I felt tears drip from my eyes.

"I'm such a baby," I giggled, feeling embarrassed.

"_I'll be there in a few minutes. Keep your phone with you."_

I hung up and brushed the tears from my cheeks as my eyes darting to every dark corner in my room.

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**Author's Note:**

**Edward and Bella finally did it! Hurray for them! Lol Tell me what you think! (I almost left an Author's Note at the top, warning you about the sex scene that would follow, but I didn't want to spoil it.)**

**I may not post the next chapter tomorrow because I have a lot of shit to do, but I'll try.**

**Again, let me know if there are some weird grammatical errors and…**

**Keep up the reviews, friends! I LOVE REVIEWS! :D**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	20. Chapter 20: Confrontations

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

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**Author's Note:**

**So… Susan, one of my readers, has brought to my attention that I got the days all screwed up in the previous few chapters. Lol I spent most of yesterday going over chapters, updating the minor details that lead up to the concert and the cake day. So… as of now, lets just say that Concert was to take place on a FRIDAY and the cake day was to take place on a SATURDAY, so now the beginning of this chapter is taking place on SUNDAY. Okie-dokie? ;)**

**If you are a newish reader, disregard this AN, because you've probably read the updated versions of the chapters. :D**

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**Chapter 20: Confrontations**

_I'm outside._ –Edward

I jumped up and rushed hastily to pull open my bedroom window.

"You ok?" Edward asked as he stepped quietly into my bedroom.

I shook my head. There was no use lying to him. I was sure I looked just as freaked out as I felt.

"Come here," he whispered.

Edward pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly for a few minutes. I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and I immediately felt relaxed and safe as I melted in his embrace.

"Let's put you to bed," he murmured.

Edward pulled me towards my bed and held the covers up for me to slip in. And then I watched as he stepped out of his Vans and pulled his hoodie, along with his shirt, over his head before he climbed in behind me in nothing but socks and his basketball shorts.

"I'm sorry you had to drive all the way over here," I murmured.

Edward's strong arms wrapped securely around me, holding me firmly against his chest.

"Just try to sleep," he whispered into my ear. He sounded exhausted.

I felt his hand rub soothingly against arm before it snaked around my waist to rub gently over my chest. His fingers found the small feather charm beneath my thin shirt. I smiled. I hadn't taken it off since he gave it to me.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"For what?" he whispered.

"For being here."

I felt him lean down to kiss me softly on my shoulder.

His hand moved to rub soothing patters against my hip, arms and hands until I finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

When I awoke, I was laying face to face with my alarm clock. It read 6:30 in the morning. My eyes shifted around the room, wondering why I had woken up so early. And then I heard a noise coming from the foot of my bed.

I sat up groggily and peeked down at the floor. Edward was still wearing nothing but his basketball shorts as he continued through multiple push-ups. I watched him for a moment, listening to him take deep breaths as he pushed himself up and down. My eyes traveled eagerly over his taught back and the muscles that flexed beneath his smooth skin.

His phone was out in front of him, and I could see the numbers roll up like a stop watch. When he was done with his minute, he took a deep lingering breath before he steadied himself into a low crawling position. I watched in amazement as he crawled forward a few times before crawling backwards in the small space of my bedroom. He did this over and over, looking like a Marine at boot camp, for another minute while he heaved much more strained and ragged breaths.

I didn't interrupt, in fear that I would break his concentration. But I didn't stop watching him either. My eyes drank in his amazing physique and incredible strength. He was so fucking sexy. Too sexy. Godlike. The sight of his agile body sent jolts of excitement through me, straight to my sore lady parts. I rubbed my thighs together involuntarily.

When the minute was up, he paused the stopwatch and got to his feet to stretch.

"Hey," he said when he caught me watching.

"Hi," I murmured, my eyes traveling over his misty chest and arms. "Where's Charlie?"

"He left early. I had to hide in your closet again," he said with his crooked smile while he shook his hands and arms vigorously.

I couldn't stop staring at his bulging muscles, the smooth six-pack and hard pelvis. As he moved, hopping softly up and down on his tippy toes, my eyes flickered over his firm pecks and loose damp hair. I wanted to lick the sweat off of him.

"Oh," I finally said, tearing my eyes away from the droplets that collected on his collarbone. "What are you doing?"

"Exercising," Edward said as he bent down to start the timer on his phone again. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Its ok," I said.

I watched him do ten sets of ten burpees. The only reason why I knew what burpees were was because some of my friends from Arizona, who were cheerleaders, used to do them as part of their exercise routine. However, they never did more than three sets. Edward's stamina was impressive… in and out of the sheets.

When Edward was done, he took another ten minutes to stretch and get his breathing together.

"Do you do this every morning?" I asked.

"Sometimes. Its part of my weight training schedule and it works better than going for a run or using the elliptical in the morning."

"It seems pretty intense," I mused.

"I'm used to it," he shrugged. "It's not even my full routine," he added a little more smugly.

"Do you always wake up this early on Sunday mornings?"

"No. Charlie woke me up, so I figured I'd get an early start."

I nodded, rubbing my right eye.

"How did you sleep?" his voice was gentle as he watched me from his position on the floor.

"Better," I answered.

"Anymore nightmares?"

"No."

Edward nodded slowly as he stretched his back. "Do you want to come home with me? I need to shower and get something to eat."

"Right now?" I asked after a minute.

"Yeah."

"Ok," I said.

I got up and pulled on a pair of jeans, my vans and a small snug hoodie. I figured I didn't have to get too dressed up considering it was still barely the break of dawn.

Edward eyed me for a minute before he turned to pull on his shoes and t-shirt before he grabbed his keys and phone.

"Can I drive your truck?" he asked as we walked down stairs together.

"My truck?"

"Yeah. Emmett dropped me off last night."

"Why?" I asked surprised. I felt my cheeks flush from embarrassment.

"Well… I was planning ahead. I mean, Charlie knows what my car looks like and I figured if by any chance I slept in, I didn't want him recognizing my car and come busting into your room to find me in bed with you."

I laughed and shook my head.

"Good lookin' out." I said.

Downstairs, I handed Edward my keys and followed him out to the truck.

"Put your sweater on," I urged him. The air was thick with moisture and fog. I shivered and pulled my hood over my head.

Edward laughed and wiped the lingering sweat from his brow.

The drive to his house was quick, mostly because there weren't any cars in sight. And when we pulled up to the driveway, I couldn't help but glance around nervously, looking for a sign of life in the house. All the lights were off and it seemed that everyone was enjoying their Sunday sleeping in. I sighed in relief.

"Come on," Edward murmured when he reached for my hand.

I followed him up the front steps and through the threshold into the kitchen.

He busied himself for a minute, pulling out a small blender, ice, milk, a banana, creamy peanut butter and some spinach. I just lingered, taking a seat at the barstool in front of the island.

"Want some?" he asked as he placed the various components into the blender.

"Sure," I said.

He withdrew a small glass and a large Blender bottle. He poured me a serving of his shake and then he poured a couple of servings into his bottle before topping it off with a couple of scoops of what I assumed was protein powder. I watched him shake the bottle vigorously and listened to the metal mixing ball slam around the thick plastic.

"Breakfast of champions," Edward said with a smile. He held his bottle up in a toast.

I giggled and softly tapped my cup against his before taking a sip.

"This is good," I said. You couldn't even taste the spinach.

He shrugged and took a long swig.

"Hey Bella," a voice said suddenly from behind me.

I turned in my seat to see Emmett standing in the doorway. He was sweating and wiping a towel over his face and neck.

"Morning," I said. I felt a little embarrassed about being there so early.

"You started early," Edward mused. "Don't you usually get up at around noon?"

"Rose spent the night," Emmett said with a nonchalant shrug. "She snuck out of the guest room and into my bed at like 3 in the morning and let me tell you, that girl is a pillow hogger. She doesn't let me sleep in."

"Rose is here?" I asked, my eyes darting towards the stairs.

"Yeah," Emmett said as he fixed himself a protein shake.

The boys let the topic of Rose drop and started talking a little bit about their morning workouts. Apparently Emmett was feeling a little sore because he did an extra set of bench presses that morning. It was fun to watch them talk so seriously about their morning routines and how to regulate their weight and keep their body fat down. I only started feeling a little self-conscious when Emmett told Edward that he needed to stop eating so many hamburgers.

Emmett never once mentioned anything about giving Edward a ride to my house last night. I didn't know if it was because he didn't think it was a big deal, or he was being discreet out of respect for me. Either way it was nice and it kept me from feeling embarrassed about the whole thing.

About an hour later, Rosalie finally came down stairs. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and it was the first time I had ever seen her without any makeup on.

"Hey girl," she said when she spotted me.

She looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but relaxed when I jumped up to give her a hug.

Once Edward and Emmett left to take their showers, Rose turned to me.

"So how have _you_ been sleeping?" she asked as she made some coffee.

"Not very good," I answered honestly. "You?"

"Horrible. I can't get those fuckers out of my mind." I saw her lip curl angrily over her teeth.

"Me either. I called Edward last night because I woke up freaked out from a creepy nightmare."

"I heard," Rose said. "Em told me he drove Edward over to your place at around 1 in the morning. I didn't think it was because of a nightmare though."

Rosalie wiggled her eyebrows at me, which made me blush scarlet.

"What's up with you two anyway?" she asked curiously. "I mean I know what's going on. I'm not stupid. But have you guys… you know? Made anything official?"

"We have, actually," I said. I tried to hide my wide grin behind my hand.

Rosalie laughed at my expression. "Nice," she said under her breath. "He really likes you. I'm certain of that."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I really like him too."

"Good morning girls."

I jumped and turned to see Esme standing in the entryway.

"Morning Esme," Rosalie and I said in unison.

I felt myself blush further under Esme's gaze. I hoped she hadn't heard me talking about Edward.

"When did you get here, Bella?" Esme asked as she moved towards the cabinets to retrieve four mugs.

"Pretty early," I answered sheepishly.

"Thank you for the coffee, Rose," Esme said as she poured three cups. "Bella, do you drink coffee?"

"Not really," I said with a shake of my head. "But thanks anyway."

"There are some eggs in the fridge and bread in the pantry. You girls make yourselves at home," Esme said in a sweet voice.

She gave me a small smile before she added cream to Rose's coffee and turned back towards the stairs with two mugs in her hands. I figured she was taking Carlisle his cup of coffee.

Emmett, Rosalie, Edward and I spent most of Sunday hanging out in their living room watching movies, listening to music, and just talking. We all stayed in our lazy clothes, Rose in her pajamas and Emmett and Edward in t-shirts and basketball shorts. It was nice. And it was the first time I actually got the chance to get to know Emmett, especially because the only time I ever hung out with him was at school or getting drunk after school. So this Sunday was definitely a nice change.

Emmett was a really cool guy. He was very relaxed and easy going. He had a loud booming voice, which was kind of intimidating, but his personality was the complete opposite. He was very friendly and cheerful, cracking continuous jokes making us all laugh until our tummy's ached. I understood now why he didn't want to get in the middle of the fight between Jasper and Rosalie. He was the kind of person who always tried to keep the atmosphere light because he was a very loving and caring person by nature.

Edward sat close beside me the entire day, his fingers aimlessly rubbing patterns into my shoulder or over my thigh. I was surprised by his proximity because he usually didn't touch me much in front of other people. And what was more; he was very attentive all day, always asking me if I was hungry or thirsty, if I was comfortable or if I was tired. And then finally at around 6 o'clock, when a very angry Charlie called me wondering where I was, Edward drew out a detailed map to help me drive safely home.

"Just call me if you get lost, alright?" Edward urged. "I'll go pick you up."

"Are you worried?" I asked with a smug grin.

"A little," he answered honestly. "You're so fucking accident prone. I don't want you to accidently drive off a cliff or something."

"A cliff? Really?"

"Knowing you, it could happen."

Over the next few weeks, as April ended and May began, time seemed to pass very quickly. I had a few more nightmares here and there, but Edward was always willing to help me through the night, either on the phone or in my bed. We hadn't had sex again after our first time together, mainly because the opportunity hadn't presented itself. But I was eager for another roll in the sheets and I could tell he was too. Sometimes he would drive me to and from school, which Charlie didn't mind too much, and Edward and I would catch ourselves fondling each other while sharing heated kisses in the front seat. However, Edward was still being very careful with my jaw and lip, even though I assured him that my mouth was fine. The bruising had gone down considerably, and now it was only the slightest tinge of brown and yellow, and my lip had healed too.

Recently, when Charlie asked me, again, if Edward was my boyfriend I told him the truth. Yes, Edward was my boyfriend. Charlie seemed to accept that and I knew it was because he really liked Edward. They got along really well and often times, the three of us would sit around in the living room eating my freshly made dinner while Charlie watched the season's baseball games. Edward and I would cheer along with him while working on our homework, which was really funny because surprisingly enough, I was actually starting to enjoy watching baseball. But still, I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it because of the way Edward described it, or if it was because of the game itself. Either way, I was happy.

"Did you hear about Jessica Stanley's party tomorrow night?" Edward murmured in my ear.

I turned to shake my head at him.

It was Friday and we were sitting with Charlie in the living room, busying ourselves with a biology project that was due the following week.

"Mike told me," Edward said.

Mike and Jessica were going out again, much to Rosalie and Angela's annoyance. I didn't really get what their deal was with Jessica. She seemed nice enough to me. We got along pretty well, but maybe it was because I didn't give her the stink eye every time I saw her.

My relationship with my friends had been wishy-washy ever since the concert. No, that wasn't true. It had been weird ever since Jasper hit me with the baseball bat. Alice was keeping her distance from me and Edward still wasn't speaking to Jasper. Every time they were in the same room together, there was obvious tension that lingered between them. I tried to talk to Edward about it a few times, but he would brush it off as if it wasn't a big deal. I was used to that though. Whenever there was something that Edward didn't want to talk about, the wall would come up; the wall I was all too familiar with. I had seen it many times. At first, I didn't understand why it would happen, but I soon figured out that it had something to do with the death of his parents.

Edward had a trust issue. That was something I was certain about. He had trouble trusting and confiding in people. Rosalie and Emmett were among the few that he turned to when he needed to talk about something personal. I couldn't consider myself one of those people, because even to this day, he wouldn't talk to me about his parents or his relationship with Jasper. I knew that they had been close once, but I only knew this because Rosalie had told me so.

One day I had asked Rose why Edward was holding such a huge grudge. She told me it was because Jasper didn't apologize after the accident. When I argued, saying that he had, Rose simply shook her head saying that his apology came too little too late.

"_Edward is very protective of himself and the people he cares about, Bella," Rose had told me. "When Jasper hit you, it flipped a switch in Edward's head. I don't think Edward realized how much he cared about you before that day. And when Jasper neglected to apologize immediately after, he lost all of Edward's respect as well as his friendship. Edward isn't the easiest person to be close to. I mean, he's kind, he's gentle, he's caring and all that, but he doesn't let people into his life very easily. He's done with Jasper."_

I sighed and turned to look at Edward. My eyes flickered over the small smile on his lips as he sat leaning against the couch near Charlie's feet watching the game.

"So do you wanna go?" Edward asked, turning his attention back to me.

"Go where?" Charlie interrupted.

"A friend of ours is having a party tomorrow night," Edward answered, seemingly unfazed that my father was a cop and our friends participated in underage drinking and smoking illegal substances.

"Well, you kids be good," Charlie nodded. "I don't want to be bothered with any calls about my daughter or her boyfriend being picked up for underage drinking."

Edward chuckled before he turned to wink at me. I blushed and looked away.

School had been much the same as before, only now, Edward and I walked the halls while holding hands. At first I was surprised when our group of friends didn't immediately say something, but I soon realized that from the start, we hadn't been fooling anyone. But still, it wasn't until Edward kissed me softly on the nose during lunch when Tyler finally said something about our newly developed PDA.

"_Well its about time, Eddie boy," he said with a short applause._

_Edward looked up at him in surprise._

"_You finally asked the girl out," Tyler explained._

"_Shut the fuck up," Edward had laughed before he threw his arm securely around me._

I chuckled softly to myself, reliving the lunch hour.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked as he scooted closer to me in front of the coffee table.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Something," he argued as he nudged my cheek with his nose.

"Charlie," I hissed, moving away from him.

"Charlie doesn't care," Edward breathed very quietly.

"Yes he does," I mouthed.

"What were you thinking about?" Edward asked again.

"You and Tyler during lunch last week."

I could see the recollection in his eyes before he looked away. I laughed at how obviously uncomfortable he was about letting his friends know about our relationship. That was another thing about him that I still didn't understand. I didn't get why he was so secretive about his relationship with me. It wasn't like his friends really cared much either way.

"Why do you do that?" I asked in a soft whisper.

"Do what?" he asked, looking back at me confused.

"That thing you do. Whenever our relationship is mentioned in front of our friends you get all weird."

I watched Edward suppress an eye roll as he dragged his hand through his hair.

"I don't know what you're talking about Bella," he murmured harshly.

There was the wall again.

I sighed and turned back towards my Biology notes.

At around 8:30, Charlie, very strictly but still politely, ushered Edward towards the front door to send him on his way.

"I've got it from here, dad," I laughed as I opened the door for Edward.

Charlie called a quick goodbye before he turned back towards the living room.

"Are we gonna go tomorrow?" Edward asked again as he stood with his hands shoved in his pockets on my porch.

"Yes," I answered, giving him a small smirk.

"Cool," he murmured as he leaned down to kiss me softly on the lips.

"My lip is fine Edward," I groaned when pulled away from me before I had the chance to shove my mouth more forcefully against his.

"But your jaw might not be," he argued.

"Stop doing that," I groaned. "Its fine. I promise."

He chuckled and kissed me on the forehead before he turned towards his car.

"I'll pick you up at around 8," he called back to me.

I smiled and turned back towards the house.

The next day, I called Rosalie over to help me get ready for the party. I didn't know what to wear, which was weird for me because I usually didn't care.

"Maybe its because you're going to your first party as officially Edward's girlfriend," Rosalie suggested as she styled my hair in thick waves down my back. "Maybe it's putting a bit of a strain on your confidence."

"Why would it put a strain on my confidence?" I argued.

"Because you've never gone to a party as someone's date, let alone as their girlfriend before."

"Oh," I mused. "That makes sense."

Rose laughed as she turned towards my closet.

"You're naturally really cute, Bella. You don't have to worry too much about what you wear."

She fussed through my closet before choosing a white, thin, sleeveless button down shirt.

"I'll freeze in that," I protested.

"We're going to be inside," Rosalie argued. "You'll be fine."

I pulled out a bra from my dresser and turned my back to Rosalie while I changed.

"What kind of bra is that?" Rose asked.

I turned to peek at her over my shoulder.

"Its American Apparel," I said. "It's the Geo Lace Bralette. They're the only kind I own. I don't really like wearing bras with underwire or padding."

"Huh." I watched her dig through my underwear drawer to pull out a black one.

It was the exact same one Edward usually saw me in, which was funny and totally coincidental.

I blushed and turned away to pull on the shirt and then a pair of skinny jeans.

"Wear your leather jacket too," Rosalie suggested, tossing me my jacket.

I pulled it on and then pulled on my black Vans before I glanced at the clock. Edward would already be on his way.

I rushed to the bathroom to apply some eyeliner, mascara and little bit of concealer to the fading bruise on my chin.

"Your phone is ringing," Rosalie called from my bedroom.

I ran back to my room and quickly answered.

"Hello?"

"_I'm with Emmett and I'm on my way. Are you guys ready?"_ Edward called into the phone. I could tell I was on speaker.

I turned to glance at Rosalie who was applying red lipstick.

"Yup. See you soon."

"_Soon,"_ he responded before he clicked.

Jessica's house was in full-blown party mode when we got there. The music was so loud; the base could be heard from a block away.

"You look cute," Edward murmured to me when I climbed out of the back seat of his Volvo.

"Thanks," I smiled up at him. "You do too."

My eyes took in his appearance. He was dressed simple, no beanie, which I was very happy about, a black V-neck, his leather jacket, and dark jeans.

I giggled when I took in his shoes.

"What?" he asked, glancing down at our feet. "Oh."

"We match," I laughed.

I looked up and was met with his crooked smile before he took my hand and led me towards the house. Inside was crazy. In the front room, there were strobe lights and smoke machines, and it was packed with people. Edward tugged me forward, his hand a hard grip as he towed me towards a large kitchen. Jessica's house was big, which kind of surprised me because of how tiny and modest Forks was. But then again, the Cullen's had a large house too.

Edward released my hand and moved towards a group of guys standing by a keg.

"Bella!" someone called from behind me.

I turned to see Jessica wearing a birthday girl sash across her glittery dress.

"Happy birthday Jessica," I said as I leaned in for a hug.

"Thanks," she laughed loudly. "You look totally gorge!"

"So do you," I said with a smile.

"Please, help yourself!" She rushed over towards Edward and held out two red plastic cups while he pumped the pressurizer on the keg.

I giggled watching him work.

"This feels strangely familiar," he said to me with a smile on his face.

I nodded.

"Do you want to take a shot at it?"

I giggled again and shook my head.

He laughed and poured the beer into the two cups in Jessica's hands.

"Thanks Jess," Edward said, taking the cups from her.

"No problem," she beamed at him. "Have you seen Mike yet?"

Edward handed me my cup before pulling his phone out of his jean pocket.

"He should be here soon," he said. "Happy birthday, by the way."

He smiled down at her and offered a hug. She giggled and blushed and even wobbled a little as she leaned into him, letting his right arm pull her into his side for a small hug. I chuckled at the exchange. It seemed that my _boyfriend_ made many girls swoon.

Edward took me out towards a back patio where Riley and Austin were hanging out and passing a joint around.

When I was offered a hit, I took it and so did Edward. It burned in my lungs and choked me, but it still felt good as I sipped my beer to put out the fire. The joint was passed around a few more times and after my third hit, I knew I sky-high. As soon as the lazy haze settled around my head I felt myself breakout into a fit of giggles.

"Ok," I laughed. "No more for me."

Edward chuckled at me and took a long pull from the joint before handing it back to Riley.

"So… you guys are together now, or what?" Riley asked, eyeing me with an unreadable expression.

"Yeah," Edward responded curtly before he turned to drape his arm over my shoulder.

"When did this happen?" Riley asked.

"A while ago," Edward said. His tone sounded a little rude.

"Was it before… or after the concert?" Riley pressed, a sly smile forming on his lips.

"What's it to you?" I saw Edward smile back at Riley, though the smile never reached his eyes.

I glanced between them, wondering if the hostility in their gaze was real or if I was just being paranoid.

"Uh…" I mumbled. "Um… can we… like… go inside now?" I asked Edward.

Edward's smile faded as he and Riley continued to glare at each other.

What the fuck was going on?

"Jasper's here, you know," Riley said in a deep voice. "He's been looking for you."

"The fuck do I care?" Edward responded harshly.

"We're all brother's here, Edward. Teammates. It isn't cool to leave your brother hanging over a _girl_."

Edward stared Riley down, his eyes blazing with anger. I stared between them, feeling very anxious.

"Come on," I murmured to Edward. I tried to pull him back towards the house.

Edward ignored me.

"Mind your own fucking business, Biers. This has nothing to do with you," Edward snarled in Riley's face.

"Jasper's my boy. His business is my business."

I stood there, silently looking between them.

"Alright, chill out," Austin interrupted as he pushed between them.

Edward's face immediately cleared before he turned to me.

"Let's go inside," he said in a soft voice.

I stared up at him. I was sure he could see the fear in my eyes, but he soothed it away by rubbing my cheek with his thumb.

Inside my eyes darted around, searching for Rosalie. I was feeling seriously paranoid, as if I was in the middle of a minefield, just waiting for someone to explode. My eyes instantly found Rose. She was standing with Emmett and Mike around a large table. I gripped Edward's hand tighter and pulled him towards them.

"Hey, Ed," Mike said as we approached. "Let's play beer pong. Be on my team."

"Na, I don't think so," Edward said, shaking his head.

"What about you, Bella?" Mike asked me.

"Um… No thanks." I was way too stoned to play a drinking game.

"Fuck it, I'll play," Edward said with a crooked smile. I watched him shrug out of his leather jacket before he turned towards Emmett. "Ready to get your ass handed to you, bro?"

I stared at him in bewilderment. It seemed that his confrontation with Riley outside was already long forgotten.

"You wish!" Emmett hollered.

The game started and I was surprised to see how good all four of them were. Rose kicked ass, knocking her pong ball into more than half of the cups on Edward and Mike's side. But Edward was just as good as her, if not better. He took out most of the cups on Emmett and Rosalie's side without missing once. I giggled and cheered them all on and soon all four of them were acting pretty tipsy.

"Drink up!" Mike yelled when he and Edward made the last two shots. "Drink the fuck up, Rose!"

"Asshole," Rosalie grumbled when she took the full cup from Emmett.

I watched, giggling as they drank their beers down.

"You did good," I said turning to Edward.

"Thanks," he responded with a smile. "I've been known to have pretty damn good hand-eye coordination."

I laughed and nudged his chin with my nose.

He let out a throaty laugh before he leaned down to kiss me, very roughly, full on the lips. I gasped as his tongue slid forcefully into my mouth before his teeth grazed against my bottom lip. I staggered into him and clung to his leather jacket. I hadn't realized how desperate I was for a real, hard kiss. My tongue slid against his as I sucked his full bottom lip into my mouth. He tasted so good, like weed and beer and peppermint. Perfect and exactly what I needed.

I heard a few loud cat cries around us, which caused me to finally release my strangle hold on his thick hair.

"Sorry," I gasped when his lips released me with a loud wet smack.

Edward chuckled and brushed his thumb over my lips, clearing the lingering saliva that collected on my mouth.

"Daaamn," Emmett laughed. "Get a room, you two."

I watched Edward give Emmett the finger. We stood there for a moment, swaying slightly on the spot with wide smiles on our faces until Rosalie suddenly approached us.

"Jasper's coming over here," Rose said to Edward.

She looked worried, her eyes flickering over Edward's face as she tried to read his expression.

I watched multiple emotions play across Edward's face before he tilted his head back and released a soft groan. His grip on me dropped as he turned to face an angry looking Jasper.

"What's up Edward?" Jasper said.

Edward gave Jasper a short nod, his eyes settling on anything, but Jasper. Edward's expression was a mixture between boredom and exasperation, like he was preparing to hear a seriously annoying joke.

"How long are you going to ignore me?" Jasper asked in a deep growl. I didn't miss the way his words slurred. He was obviously pretty drunk.

My eyes flickered to the group of people gathered behind him. Riley was there, and so was Alice, though Alice looked scared as she edged away from Jasper's side. She obviously didn't really want to be a part of this.

"What makes you think I'm ignoring you?" Edward said. His tone was a slow drawl.

I glanced at Rosalie. Her wide-eyed expression mirrored mine. We were both surprised to hear the mocking tone in Edward's voice.

"You've been ignoring me for days. At school or whenever the guys meet up for conditioning. You never speak to me anymore. We're best friends, Edward. What the fuck?"

"Look, I don't have time for this shit," Edward said with an eye roll. "I'm trying to enjoy the party and my night out with my girl."

Edward gripped my hand and tried to push past Jasper.

"Hey," Jasper yelled as he shoved Edward hard on the shoulder. "I'm talking to you. I apologized to your fucking girlfriend, alright? She accepted my apology, so why can't you?"

Edward shook his head with a small, condescending laugh and tried to push past Jasper again.

"No!" Jasper yelled as he shoved Edward's shoulder again. "I'm talking to you!"

"Get the fuck away from me Jasper," Edward said under his breath. His eyes were focused on the ground now.

"No, you know what? Fuck you too, Edward! Fuck you!"

I saw the cool and calm facade shatter around Edward when Jasper through his middle finger into Edward's face. But before Edward was able to react, Emmett pushed himself between the two once-best friends.

"Jasper," Emmett yelled. "Calm the fuck down man, you're drunk."

"Fuck that, Emmett! I'm pissed off! Fuck that guy!" Jasper rambled on as he tried to push past his friends to get at Edward.

I flinched at the hostility in Jasper's voice.

"Get him away from me Emmett," Edward said aggressively under his breath.

I watched as Mike and Tyler approached Jasper, trying to calm him down. A loud row broke out when Riley intervened and I stared at the group of boys, suddenly scared that an all out fistfight might develop.

"Edward don't be mad at him," Alice suddenly said as she stepped up in front of Edward. "He's just drunk and upset because he's lost one of his best friends."

"Back off, Alice," Edward said, as he turned to frown down at her. "I never got in the middle of you and Jasper when you guys were fighting, alright? So don't give me that shit."

"He's just upset!" she urged.

"So am I!" He argued back. "He almost killed my fucking girlfriend! How am I supposed to react to that? You're all a bunch of fucking hypocrites. I wish I could see the look on your face if I knocked Jasper out with a fucking baseball bat and never apologized."

"But he did apologize," she cried.

"Yeah? Well it was too fucking late now."

He turned and snatched up his jacket before reaching for my hand.

"Get out of my way, Alice," he snarled as he pushed forcefully past her with me in tow.

"Edward, please!" Alice called after him.

Edward forced his way out of the house, never turning back.

"See?" Edward yelled when we walked out onto the street towards his car. "This is why I didn't want to tell my friends about you! They're all a bunch of fucking assholes!"

I walked quietly beside him and tried to rub soothing circles into his hand. This was now the third time I had seen or heard Edward so angry. When I first met him, he was always so unperturbed, so calm. It wasn't until the accident at Tyler's house that glimpses of the anger boiling underneath his calm demeanor began to explode.

"I knew that they would throw you in my face. _'_It's not cool to leave your brother hanging over a girl_._' Man, fuck Riley and fuck Jasper." Edward finished acidly.

He released my hand when we reached the Volvo and unhooked his keys from his jeans.

"Edward," I called as he unlocked the door.

"What?" he asked turning to me. His voice was immediately softer.

My eyes flickered over his forward brow and hurt expression.

"I can't go home like this," I murmured. "I'm really fucking high right now."

He stared at me for a moment before he sighed deeply and gestured towards his car.

"Get in the car, Bella," he said.

I nodded and climbed in.

"Are you sure you can drive like this?" I murmured. "You had a lot of beer and you smoked a lot of weed. I'm sure you're way more intoxicated than I am."

"I'm fine," he said as he started the car and peeled away from the curb.

I sat quietly during the drive, mulling over what had just happened at Jessica's house. The entire night started bad and ended bad. First, with Riley out on the patio and then with Jasper over by the beer pong table. I began feeling that this separation between Edward and his friends was entirely my fault.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into the silent car. "This is all my fault."

"What?" I could hear the anger in his voice again. "None of this is your fault, Bella."

"Yes it is," I said. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this stupid fight with Jasper."

"Please don't do this right now," Edward groaned as he pulled into his driveway.

I looked around; noticing how deserted his house looked. His parent's car wasn't even there.

"Come on," he said as he climbed out of the Volvo.

I sat for a minute, feeling like a fat load of misfortune that landed hard on Edward's lap.

"Come on," he called again as he stood by the front bumper of his car.

I stared at him, feeling the tears begin to burn my eyes. He watched me for a minute, trying to see me through the front windshield before he walked quickly over to the passenger door and pulled it open.

I sniffled in response.

"Why are you crying?" he asked as he bent down in front of me.

"I don't know," I whimpered. "Maybe I'm just a little too high for all of this right now."

Edward chuckled softly before he pulled me into his arms like a baby. He carried me up the front stairs of his porch and then up the three stories to his bedroom. I didn't protest. In fact, I actually liked seeing how strong he was.

He pushed his bedroom door opened and then very gently placed me on his bed before he turned to flick one of the bedside lamps on.

His room was messier than it had been the last time I was there. There were clothes, books and records everywhere and his bed was unmade.

I watched him shrug out of his jacket, and kick off his shoes before pulling off his pants. And then he turned to me. He removed my jacket before he kneeled down in front of me and gently pulled off my shoes and unbuckled my jeans. I leaned back onto my elbows and raised my hips so that he could pull my pants off. My heart was immediately drumming hard in my chest, all of the troublesome thoughts from the party immediately fleeing my head.

As soon as I was left in my shirt and panties, Edward pulled his t-shirt off and pushed me into the center of his bed. He crawled between my legs and hovered over me, kissing me deeply. My hands immediately went to his hair where I rubbed his scalp before I scrapped my hands roughly down his back.

I had to pull away from him to breathe. My heart was pounding so hard it was making me dizzy.

"Relax," Edward murmured, his nose pressed against my hollow beneath my ear.

"Huh?" I was gasping for air.

"You're gonna hyperventilate," he chuckled.

I swallowed hard and coughed, my throat suddenly dry.

"Shit," I gasped, as I dropped my head to the soft down blanket beneath me. "What was in that weed?"

Edward chuckled again as he slid his hand down my neck before placing his palm on my chest. He sat there above me, watching my face and measuring my heart rate. Once it slowed to a reasonable rhythm he ducked and started kissing me again.

His kisses were aggressive as he rubbed his body and his erection firmly against me. I angled my hips accordingly, eager to feel him gyrate against my clit.

"I want to fuck you," he murmured against my lips.

I giggled at his dirty words, which caused him to chuckle with me.

"I really do," Edward said again. "I've been wanting to, baby."

"Me too," I answered honestly when his mouth dipped to suck on my neck.

We continued with a rough tug of war, Edward yanking my shirt, bra and panties off of my body while I eagerly withdrew his hard dick from his boxers. After a moment, he got up and moved swiftly to his bathroom where he retrieved a new box of condoms. I couldn't help but giggle with a red face as I watched him move around, ass naked while he ripped open a brand new box of Trojan's.

"You're prepared," I said shyly.

Edward's eyes flickered to my face. He'd caught the soft purr in my voice.

"Of course," he answered huskily as he withdrew a condom and crawled back in between my legs, ready to claim me.

Edward entering me felt a lot like it had the first time. It hurt, bad, but the pain was quickly masked by pleasure once he picked up a comfortable rhythm. He stayed hovering close to me this time; his lips practically glued to mine as he pushed into me slow and steady, his pelvis rubbing deliciously against my clit. It wasn't until I felt my climax steadily escalate that he sat up and forced my knees into my chest so that he could pound into me. And somewhere in my subconscious, I knew that his vigorous thrusts were going to leave me aching and swollen tomorrow.

Sex with Edward was pure euphoria. My orgasm was just as intense as it was the first time as I screamed to the heavens and exploded around him. Edward came just seconds after me, groaning and gasping as he rode out his orgasm. And then we lay, spent and gummy, swimming in the aftermath of ecstasy.

"Where is everyone?" I asked sleepily, quite a few minutes later. My high from the sex and the weed was knocking me hard on my ass.

"Carlisle and Esme are at a dinner party," Edward murmured against my shoulder.

He shifted beside me, turning onto his back to retrieve a Kleenex from his bedside table. My eyes flickered over him and I saw him remove the ugly, full condom and wrap it in tissues.

I grimaced and then a giggle accidently slipping through my lips.

Edward caught me watching and then teased me for being a little perv. I laughed and argued that I wasn't a pervert, just mildly curious.

"What time is it?" I asked as Edward snuggled up behind me.

"I don't know," he yawned.

"I need to get home," I said halfheartedly.

"I know," he whispered.

The next thing I knew, I was being roughly awaken by Edward who was shaking me and thrusting my cellphone into my hands.

"It's Charlie, Bella!" he hissed. "Wake up!"

I blinked against the dim light in his room, my eyes instantly finding the time on his alarm clock.

4:05 a.m.

"Shit!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Daaaamn, that was a long chapter.**

**I want to thank all of my readers, reviewers, followers, favoriters, lurkers, friends, lovers... lol... everyone for reading on and sticking with my story. As you know, I love REVIEWS! They encourage me to keep updating and add little bubbles of happiness to my self esteem. :D**

**Oh! And again, let me know if you see any grammatical weirdness. ;)**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	21. Chapter 21: Lunchroom Difficulties

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Lunchroom Difficulties **

I stared at Edward with wide eyes, my hands practically shaking as I held my vibrating phone. His eyes were puffy with sleep, but alarmed.

"What do I do?" I asked shakily. I could feel the anxiety forcing its way up my throat.

"Just answer it!" he urged quietly.

I jumped at the anxious pitch in his voice and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" My voice was small and hesitant.

"_Where the hell are you?"_ Charlie yelled at me.

"Uh… I'm… I'm with Rose," I lied.

Edward's eyes went wide and I shrugged with my hands out. What the heck did he expect me to say?

"_Where's Edward?"_ Charlie asked angrily. _"He was supposed to bring you home! Do you have any idea what time it is?"_

"Um… Rose got in a fight with Alice and… uh…" I slammed my palm against my forehead, already hating myself for lying to Charlie. "She wanted me to go home with her and we were talking and I must have fallen asleep."

From the corner of my eye I saw Edward nod in approval. Apparently it was a good cover.

"_Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" _Charlie yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry, dad. I—"

"_I've called your phone at lease a hundred times, Bella! I almost sent out a search party for you! Jesus, Bella. You had me worried sick. You should have called me."_

"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry dad."

"Ask if you can stay the night," Edward hissed.

"With you?" I asked, covering the phone with my hand.

"No!" he whispered harshly, shaking his head. "With Rose!"

I rolled my eyes at my stupidity.

"Dad, I'm sorry that I didn't call and I'm sorry that I made you worry," I said to Charlie on the phone. "But I'm really tired and I don't have my car. Can I stay here with Rose tonight?"

I listened to Charlie grumble under his breath.

"She's asleep and I really don't want to have to wake her up…" I continued. "And it's really late."

I nibbled anxiously on my lip while I waited for him to respond.

"_Well, alright. But I'm not happy about this, Bella," _he grumbled. _"I respect that you are a growing teenager and that you've taken care of yourself for many years without me, but you are still my daughter and I expect you to call home and ask for permission if you're going to be out late or if you make plans to spend the night with one of your girlfriends. I'm your father and I deserve some respect too."_

"I know," I said sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"_Alright,"_ he murmured. _"Goodnight Bella."_

"Goodnight dad."

I clicked and turned to see Edward smiling crookedly at me.

"What's so funny?" I asked with a pathetic glare. It was hard to glare at a face that beautiful.

"I get you all to myself tonight," he whispered.

I giggled when he gently pushed me onto my back before settling himself between my naked legs. I was instantly wet and ready for him.

"We'll need to be quiet," Edward moaned softly against my lips. "My parents are home."

I instantly tensed beneath him.

"Bella," he soothed. "They wont hear you."

"They might," I argued in a nervous whisper.

Edward smirked at me before he dipped to suck my lips into his mouth. His tongue was hot and wet and hungry as it dove into my mouth. I sighed, my legs instantly falling open, inviting him in. He rubbed himself against me and then groaned when he felt how wet I was.

His fingers massaged my breasts into his large hands as he moved to suck hungrily against my neck and collarbone.

"That feels amazing," I said weakly, my fingers instantly tangling into his hair.

"You taste so good, Bella," he murmured against my skin. And then he took my left nipple into his mouth.

I had to bite my lip to suppress the moan that threated to escape me as his tongue swirled and his teeth nipped relentlessly against my sensitive peak.

"Fuck," I gasped. "You're driving me crazy here."

My hips jerked against him, further proving my point.

He chuckled softly, his breath ghosting across my chest, raising goose bumps on my heated flesh, before he sucked my right nipple into his mouth.

A low whimper tore itself forcefully up my throat and I had to turn my head towards the pillow beneath me to stifle it.

"I love those sounds you make," Edward murmured as he licked a path between my breasts, down to my bellybutton. "You make those sounds when I'm fucking you."

I felt myself shiver against him as his head dipped lower, sucking hard on each of my pelvic bones.

"What are you doing?" I gasped when his arms slid under my thighs to force my knees over his shoulders.

I reached down and covered myself with my hand.

"Move your hand," he murmured huskily as he nudged the back of my knuckles with his nose.

"What are you doing?" I asked again. My voice was humiliatingly unsteady.

Edward's tongue slid hot and hard against the back of my fingers and I gasped at the sensation.

"I want to taste you," he whispered. His voice sent electric shivers down my spine.

"Wait," I whimpered. "I haven't cleaned up yet."

"I don't care," he said. "I want to taste you."

I hesitated; I was so fucking nervous and so wet. I could feel my arousal seeping onto my fingers. I was instantly worried about what I might taste like. What if he didn't like it? What if it grossed him out?

I could smell my sex from where I lay, which caused a million more thoughts to run through my head.

"Come on, baby," Edward moaned as he sucked and grazed his teeth softly against my inner thigh.

I trembled against him, the muscles in my thighs clenching with anticipation. I wanted this, I did. But I was scared.

I heard Edward take a deep breath before he nudged my knuckles again with his nose.

"You smell so good, Bella," he continued. "I want to see how wet you are."

His head dipped to suck softly against my bikini line. Through the fog of excitement and desire, I was happy that I had properly shaved and trimmed last night before the party.

"Edward," I whimpered. My anxiety was changing, transforming into lust from his words.

"Move your hand, baby," he groaned again.

I didn't move. I couldn't.

His grip on my left thigh dropped as he reached and forced my hand away from my wet center. I tried to resist him, but there was no resisting Edward's iron strength.

And then I moaned, loud, when his tongue suddenly slid between my folds.

"Fuuuuck..." I gasped as my hips bucked towards him. The sound was like a feral animal, coming straight from the pit of my stomach.

My resolve shattered around me in that instant. My back arched and I spread my legs wider, giving him better access to the bundle of nerves I so desperately wanted him to taste.

"You taste so fucking good," he moaned hoarsely.

I felt an electric jolt run through me and I was lost. Lost against his lips and tongue as they slid and sucked against my clit. He lapped me up like a starving cat, drinking in my arousal, only to make me even more wet and drip relentlessly against his nose and tongue. I could even feel the stubble from his chin against my sensitive opening.

It wasn't until Edward suddenly stopped eating me out when I heard movement outside his door.

I froze, my heart hammering and my head swimming as if I had just been startled out of a dream. My eyes flickering to Edward who sat hovering over my crotch. He must have seen the panic in my eyes because he slowly sat up and pressed his index finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet. And then very slowly he slid from his bed and crept towards his door.

My heart drummed erratically as I watched him turn the little lock on the door handle, never making a sound.

Edward stood by his door for another five minutes, before he carefully crept back towards me. I heard him sniff and wipe his face as he crawled into bed beside me.

"Who was that?" I asked in a tiny whisper. All thoughts of sex were immediately buried deep.

"I don't know," he said. I could smell myself on his breath.

We stayed quiet for another minute before Edward turned to stoke his fingertips gently across my pelvis and thigh.

"Stop," I hissed, pushing his hand away.

"What's wrong?" he asked. His crooked smile was in place.

"Not while someone is walking around out there."

"No one will hear us," he urged.

"I'm not going to risk it."

Edward chuckled softly before he turned my body to snuggle up behind me. I could feel his erection pushing between my butt cheeks and thighs. I groaned and circled my hips against him. I couldn't help it.

"Bella," he hissed softly as jerked against me.

The force of his thrust caused me to bounce against his hips, which only made him thrust against me again.

"Don't," I whimpered.

He leaned forward to suck hungrily against my neck and jaw. I could still smell myself on his lips and in his hair. The fact that he smelled like me only added to my sudden neediness. I felt my wetness seep onto my inner thighs, but I forced myself not to cave. I didn't want to have sex while someone, possibly a parent, was walking around outside of his bedroom.

"Please," I whimpered. "I don't want to do this while your family is home."

"Then let me go down on you," he murmured into my ear.

I shook my head.

"Come on, baby," he moaned. "I'll make you feel good. You know I will."

His insistence was hard to resist. I could feel his hands grip hard against my hips as he ground his cock against me, seeking friction. It didn't take long for him to gather the wetness that lingered on my thighs and use it as lubrication to jerk himself off. I moaned as I felt him twitch and pulse against me as he gripped my ass and rubbed himself forcefully against my backside.

His tongue was at my ear, teasing and sucking against my lobe before drifting down to my neck and shoulder. I heard myself moan softly from the sensation. It was literally impossible to resist him. My body moved as if it had a mind of its own. I turned over onto my back while kicking the blankets off of my legs.

Edward shifted beside me; sitting up slightly to watch me adjust myself so that I was lying with my legs wide open in front of him. My mind was screaming insecurities at me, but my body was hungry for more. I wanted him to pleasure me. I wanted him to taste me, even if I was shy, even if I was embarrassed. I forced my coyness down, shoving it under the bed so that I could enjoy this.

I watched his mouth curve into a wicked smile as he reached for his cock to stroke himself. His eyes drank in my heaving chest and hard nipples, down to my wet and pulsing pussy. I trembled beneath his gaze.

"You look so fucking hot," Edward murmured as he shifted to rest on his elbows between my legs.

And then he was sucking me again, his tongue dancing against my clit. Edward did things to my body, things I had never felt before. My thighs clenched achingly around his head, before he forced my legs back open, as wide as they would go. His mouth moved deliciously against me, his nose rubbing against me, his scratchy chin teasing my opening. I rocked against him, suppressing screams while I buried my fingers into his thick hair.

When his finger's plunged into me, I could feel myself restrict painfully against his fingers. I was sore in there, very sore, but the ache was momentarily masked from the feel of him lapping and sucking against me.

"Edward," I moaned. "I'm gonna come."

I felt my body jerk upward as my climax built alarmingly fast. I knew Edward could feel it too. His fingers stopped curling within me and he settled on quick thrusts into me while his tongue twirled circles against my clit.

And then I came. My orgasm was so strong that halfway through I tried to push Edward away from me so that I could come down in peace. But he didn't let me. His fingers slid out of me, but his hands latched hard against my hips so that he could keep his mouth on me, milking my orgasm for all it was worth. He didn't release me until my legs and arms went limp like a wet noodle.

And then he abruptly sat back on his heels. I felt him rub his dick against me, using my wetness as lubricant before for he grasped himself and pumped furiously. His eyes were on me, roaming over my naked body as he rubbed my arousal from his face.

The sight of him jerking himself off made me feel, if at all possible, even more excited and I reached a tentative hand down to gently stroke my clit. My hips bucked involuntarily from the sensitivity.

"Fuck," he gasped as he pumped himself faster. "Do it again."

I felt my body shiver with excitement from the demanding tone in his voice. Slowly, I slid my finger between my folds before circling my clit.

He groaned loudly, hypnotized by the way I was touching myself.

"Come for me," I murmured.

Edward's eyes darted between my wet pussy and my eyes.

"Baby I'm gonna come," he whispered thickly.

He leaned forward, bracing his hand against the bed beside my hip as he hovered over me.

I watched as Edward pumped himself furiously before he came in hot spurts against my stomach. I was amazed by how much had come out of him, his cum soaking up my stomach and bellybutton.

"Sorry," he gasped hoarsely.

After a minute deep breaths and slight muscle twitching, Edward got up to grab the box of Kleenex that was sitting on his bedside table. He wiped me up, as well as his hand before climbing into bed behind me. We were quiet after that, both of us breathing deeply with exhaustion. I fell asleep to the feel of Edward's fingers lightly brushing against the feather than sat cradled between my breasts.

I didn't sleep long, however, because I had constant dreams about Charlie barging into Edward's bedroom to find me, naked and pressed up against my boyfriend huge dick.

I woke with start, holding Edward's down blankets tightly against my chest.

"What is it?" Edward murmured from beside me.

I glanced over and watched as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his right hand.

"Nothing," I said. "Just had a bad dream."

Edward sighed as he pulled me closer against his chest. I could feel his naked penis against my hip. Hard and hot. How was he hard again?

"What time is it?" he asked. He didn't even seem to notice his erection pressing against me.

"6:40," I answered.

He groaned and buried his face into my shoulder blade.

We stayed silent for the next half hour, listening to the sounds of his house and bedroom. My eyes flickered over his blank white ceiling and all I could think about was Charlie and how I wanted to sneak in without him realizing that Rosalie hadn't dropped me off. This was the shitty part about lying to your parent. There were always various factors to your story you were too stupid to neglect before making up the lie. I never thought ahead when I lied, which is why I always got caught. I was like an open book… or a really bad one. The person who would tell you the punch line before even finishing the joke. The person who spoiled the end of a movie because they couldn't keep their mouth shut.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Edward asked.

I felt him shift slightly before he slid his hand up towards my face. With gentle strokes, he rubbed his index finger over my eyebrows and down my nose, instantly relieving some of the tension.

"Charlie," I answered.

He nodded softly, his eyes roaming over my face.

As I watched, I thought of Jasper and the fight last night. I was sad to see their friendship dissolve so quickly because of me.

"I want to ask you something," I whispered. "But I don't want you to be upset."

"Why would I be upset?" Edward asked. I watched his eyebrows pull together in concern.

"Why are you angry at Jasper?" I asked.

I watched mixed emotions flutter across his face before he turned away from me to stare up at the ceiling.

"Its complicated, Bella," he murmured as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I think I can keep up," I urged. "Tell me."

"Because he's an idiot," Edward sighed. "He knows how I feel about you and it was a real piece of shit thing to do to not apologize to you after the fucking accident."

"Are you saying he knew you… felt something… before the accident?" I asked.

Edward's eyes flickered to me, scrutinizing my face. It was my turn to look away.

"He knew that I was interested," Edward said.

I glanced back at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Jasper and I were best friends. I was closest to him. He knows things about me, things that I still don't even know about myself. He's very insightful and can read people easily." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again.

"He knew I was interested in you before I even realized it," he continued. "I mean, I thought you were cool and really fucking cute," he laughed. "But I didn't know how much I liked you until he started pointing it out. It wasn't until he talked to me about Alice that I started to confide in him about you… the way you make me feel."

I watched his face, feeling my heart swell up from his words. I wanted to ask how he felt about me, but I didn't want to interrupt.

"The day before Alice officially became his girlfriend, the night after Emmett's party, I went over and smoked a bowl with him. We talked about Alice and about some other girls in our class… and then I talked about you. I told him things, Bella. He knew things that I felt, things that I still feel. And then when _accidently_ hit you with that fucking baseball bat and didn't apologize?"

I watched Edward's face scrunch up in anger.

"I mean, what the fuck? How could he not apologize to you?" he paused for a moment. "I lost it that day, at Tyler's house. I fucking lost it. I was so angry about our fight out in the trees and then right when I walked in, I saw him swinging that stupid bat around, twirling it like a baton. I was about to say something when I saw you walk right into him."

He clenched his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.

"I knew it wasn't his fault, exactly. It was an accident… but still. I can't help but blame him. If he wasn't twirling the bat around, he never would have hit you. And if he would have apologized that day or the next, I would still be friends with him."

"But…" I interrupted. "But why can't you forgive him? I did."

"I don't know, Bella. Because you… I… I don't…" he sputtered before rounding on me. "What would you have done if Emmett accidently hit rose with the bat and didn't apologize? Would you be talking to him right now?"

"No," I answered honestly.

"Exactly."

"But Jasper did apologize," I argued.

"Only because he was embarrassed. Only because people were making fun of him. If he was really sorry he would have apologized to you a long time ago."

"Maybe it took him a while because he was embarrassed about almost severely injuring me," I argued.

"No," he disagreed. "Jasper is very charismatic. He can have a certain effect on people and can get them to do or act a certain way. He's charming and easily influential. Jasper may have told you that he was embarrassed and that's why he didn't apologize, but I don't believe that for a second."

I watched Edward's jaw clench in anger, his hand making his hair stand on end. I wanted to sooth him, but I knew he needed to let off some steam. And to be honest, I was happy that he was finally opening up to me… even if I didn't exactly agree with him.

I didn't distrust Edward's opinion; I just didn't think it was the whole truth. I can see Jasper being influential, what with how he got Riley, Angela, Eric and Alice on his side and all. But I can also believe that Jasper was probably uncomfortable with what had happened to me. Regardless of what went down, I wasn't seriously injured and so the accident shouldn't be something worth losing a close friend over.

"I think you should talk to him," I murmured. "I think you guys need to discuss this."

"There's nothing left to discuss."

"I think there is."

"What is there to talk about, Bella? Jasper fucked up. I moved on. There's nothing left to talk about."

"You can move on so easily?" I argued. "I thought you were best friends."

I stared at him for a minute before sitting up and pulling on Edward's discarded t-shirt.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm gonna go take a shower," I murmured.

I offered Edward a small smile before I turned and slipped into his bathroom.

I bathed quickly, keeping away from the Old Spice body wash, and instead using a little bit of is Garnier shampoo to soap up with.

I couldn't help but contemplate his situation with Jasper. I knew it was hard to lose a close friend and I didn't think that this was enough of a reason to lose a strong friendship. And I couldn't help but assume that Edward was brushing it aside because he didn't want to deal with it. His reaction reminded me of that Sunshine Underground song again. _Commercial Breakdown_.

_So I'll tell my problems, you're never gonna get me if I'm too busy,_ I thought the lyrics in my head.

Edward was brushing this situation aside, neglecting to confront it and mend it. If this situation prolonged any further, I knew it would get ugly, and I didn't want that for Edward. He was so good, so kind, he didn't deserve these kinds of confrontations.

I shut the water off and quickly dried my hair and body before slipping Edward's t-shirt back on and pulling the bathroom door open.

Edward was sitting on the floor in front of his fireplace, pulling out record after record, compulsively searching for something in his neatly stacked vinyl collection. Audioslave's _Like a Stone _was playing softly from his record player.

I approached him slowly and then paused when he turned to glance at me over his shoulder. His expression was unreadable, but I could see pain in his eyes. He was upset. I could see it, though he hid it well. And the music, paired with what I could see in his eyes made me feel something… an ache, deep in my chest.

I walked over to him and sat cross-legged beside him.

"I'll talk to him," he murmured before he turned back to his cascaded pile of records.

Pulling up to Charlie's house a few hours later was the most unnerving thing in the world. It was 8 in the morning and I had already accomplished sneaking out of Edward's house unnoticed, but sneaking into my house would be another story.

"Just leave me here," I said to Edward as I scanned the block, making sure Charlie wasn't standing in the middle of the street waiting for me.

Yeah, I was that paranoid.

"Bella, he won't see you," Edward chuckled. "Let me drop you off a little closer."

"No!" I argued anxiously. "I'm fine here."

I gave Edward a quick kiss on the cheek before I practically dove out of his car and walked quickly down the block towards home. I could still hear Edward's car idle against the curb behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw him standing by his opened car door, watching me with a cocky smile on his lips.

I hid my smirk as I looked away from him. I was glad he was watching me, making sure I got home safely.

I reached the neighbors yard and paused, searching the kitchen window. I couldn't see a thing from this distance, but knew that if I took one more step, I'd be completely visible through he kitchen window.

I glanced over my shoulder again and saw Edward wave to me. I waved back just as he turned to climb back into his car. I watched him turn around and peel out down the road in the opposite direction.

I swallowed down the heart attack waiting to happen and then darted out towards the front door. When I slid in to the warm entryway, I heaved a sigh of relief, happy to hear the shower on up stairs. I was home, safe and sound and completely undetected. I wouldn't have to explain why I had to walk the block to the house.

At school the following Monday, the atmosphere at lunch was totally strained. Tyler, Emmett, Angela and Eric were the only ones acting normal, speaking casually to one another pretending not to notice the obvious tension that sat like a low cloud over our table. Edward, Mike and Jasper on the other hand were obviously throwing nasty glances at one another. I was surprised that Mike had gotten involved. He sat beside Edward, fuming with silent anger. Rose told me that he had gotten into a fistfight with Riley after we left. Supposedly, Riley had called him a degrading name when Mike turned to Edward's defense.

Rosalie looked … sad. I was sure she was upset about the tension, just as upset as I was. Alice was sitting next to Jasper, sulking and looking totally depressed. She didn't look at me or Edward, which made me feel really guilty. I hadn't forgotten the tense confrontation between he two of them at the party. I didn't think it was a bad thing that Alice tried to defend Jasper's actions. He was drunk and upset.

Alice and I weren't really talking much either. In English, we gave each other timid smiles and then walked silently to the lunch line without speaking. I was sad that all this drama was tearing a hole in our circle of friends.

I sighed silently and took a bite from my bagel.

Edward heard me and turned to peer at me out of the corner of his eye. I met his gaze and saw him roll his eyes, silently telling me he had had enough of the awkward lunch hour. I frowned.

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" he whispered to me before nudging his nose against cheek.

I nodded, grabbing my bag and standing up.

Edward tossed my tray for me and followed me out of the cafeteria double doors.

"I thought you were going to talk to Jasper," I murmured as I took another bite of my bagel.

"I am…" he shrugged.

He watched me chew before leaning down with his mouth open, asking for a bite. I pushed the bagel into his mouth and let him tear off a huge chunk.

"When?" I asked.

"Soon," Edward murmured around his bite of food.

We were making our way around the parking lot when the bell rang, ending the lunch period. We turned and made our way towards Biology.

Biology and Gym went by very quickly. I didn't see Edward after school because he had some lawns to mow. Back at home, I was in the middle of some Spanish homework when I got a text.

_Hi._ –Alice

I stared down at her text in surprise.

_Hey,_ I wrote.

_Are you busy? I was hoping we could hang out_. –Alice

I found myself contemplating over her text. I didn't want to get involved between her and Edward. There was history there, between the entire group. History that was created before I had moved back to Forks. Therefore, I didn't want to become a hopeful mediator to mend the relationships that were currently shattering around me.

_Sure_, I wrote.

_Can I come over? Mom offered me a ride._ –Alice

_Of course,_ I wrote. _See you soon._

Alice showed up a half hour later, still dressed in her uniform.

"Hey, Alice," I said. Charlie wasn't home so we were free to hang out in the living room.

I watched as Alice glanced around timidly, almost as if it was her first time in my living room.

"How are you?" she asked. "I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever."

"I know,' I sighed. "Things have been… weird."

"Weird is one word for it," she laughed. I didn't miss the edge in her tone.

We were quiet for a moment, both looking and feeling totally awkward.

"Do you want a cigarette or something?" she asked, pulling her pack of Camel Lights from her backpack.

I agreed and led her out of the back door. We walked out towards a canopy of trees in silence. We lit our cigarettes and took a few drags before Alice finally spoke.

"I know things are awkward between us because of what happened with Jasper," she murmured. "But I don't want that to be a reason why you and I stop talking. We were friends before you even knew who Jasper was."

I nodded, taking a drag from my cigarette.

"I miss my friends, Bella," she murmured again. "I miss hanging out like we used to… before things got all screwed up."

I found myself fiddling with the friendship bracelet on my wrist. The blue one I had bought with Alice, Angela and Rosalie when we were in Port Angeles.

I didn't know what to say to her. I expected things like this from people my age. I was used to the drama, to the bullshit that happened in high school. It happened all the time in Phoenix and I expected it when I moved here.

I didn't feel personally affected by the dissolve in my relationship with Alice. Not really. We were friends, but we were never really close. I was closer to Rosalie and Edward and even Mike and Emmett in a way that I wasn't close with Alice.

"Its ok, Alice," I said. "What's going on between Edward and Jasper is something that they need to figure out. All we can do is be there for them."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I guess you're right."

After our cigarette, we sat awkwardly in the living room, talking about the fight at Jessica's party. And just like I had suspected, Alice brought Edward and Jasper up many times. She talked about how upset Jasper was and how close he and Edward used to be. I didn't really want to hear it, not from her.

I found myself comparing the reasons why I wanted Edward to speak to Jasper again, versus Alice's reasons. It seemed that we were both looking out for our significant other's best interests, but I couldn't help the resentment that boiled beneath my skin when I realized that Alice wasn't at all upset that Jasper hadn't apologized to me immediately after the accident. And the more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became with the fact that Alice didn't seem to even consider Edward's side. She was so wrapped up in Jasper that she was left blindly ignoring everything else.

Did I expect anything different from a sixteen-year-old girl? Yeah, I actually did.

"Charlie is gonna be home soon," I said in a low voice.

Alice looked up at me, scrutinizing my face before she pulled her phone out to call her mom. Her mom showed up fifteen minutes later and I gave Alice a brief hug before she left.

I spent the rest of Monday evening doing homework and stressing over how stupid everyone was.

Tuesday went by quickly and just as awkward as Monday. I arrived to English and sat silently beside Alice and when the hour was up, we made our way silently to the cafeteria. I skipped on lunch and left Alice to stand in line by herself so that I could go sit beside Edward. He was the only thing I looked forward to during school.

However, when I reached the table, I was surprised to find him, Mike, Jessica, Rosalie and Emmett standing around, their backpacks still on.

"What's going on?" I asked as I rubbed my fingertips against Edward's hand.

"We're gonna spend the lunch hour outside," Edward murmured before he grasped my hand and pulled me towards the cafeteria doors.

All six of us left the building and made our way over towards the thick wall of trees just beside the student parking lot.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"There's a spot, a clearing just beyond the trees," Edward said.

None of us talked much as we moved hastily into the woods until finally landing upon the clearing Edward mentioned. It was small, but very cute. The canopy from the trees had many parts in it, which allowed the tiniest slivers of sunlight to shine through. The ground was soft and amazingly dry.

We all took a seat, sitting in a tight circle just as Mike retrieved a pipe and a container of weed.

"Oh," I chuckled. "So this is why we're here."

"It beats hanging out with those assholes," Mike murmured.

I glanced at Jessica. Did she know about all of the drama? I assumed she did, considering she was now Mike's girlfriend.

Mike packed a bowl and took a hit before passing it around. I made four passes in ten minutes before I turned down the fifth. I could feel the high making its presence and I didn't want to have to deal with being totally fucked up in Bio and Gym.

"I can't believe all this shit is happening right before Football season starts," Mike said. "This is such bullshit."

"We're gonna have quite a year," Emmett agreed.

I glanced up at Edward. His face was calm and unconcerned as he took another pull from the pipe.

"I still can't believe that Alice got involved on Saturday," Rose piped up. "I'm so angry at her."

I glanced at Rosalie.

"Can we just not hang out at that table anymore?" she continued. "I'm perfectly happy with just hanging out here during lunch for the rest of the semester."

"I'm cool with that," Edward murmured.

"Me too," Mike agreed.

When the lunch bell rang, we all gathered up our things and stumbled our way back towards the school. I was still thoroughly high when I entered Biology, but luckily, Mr. Banner used our hour as a workday so that he could finish grading homework. So Edward and I turned our seats towards each other and tried, uselessly, to work on our project that was supposed to be due the next day.

"I'm really fucking high," I sighed softly to him.

I placed my palm on my forehead, wondering how long it was going to last.

"I am too," he chuckled. "That shit was strong."

"How am I supposed to get through Gym," I groaned.

Edward's eyes met mine and we busted out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. We were so loud that Mr. Banner actually came up to our table to lecture us. We forced a couple of serious faces as he scolded each of us, his finger pointing repeatedly between us, and then burst out into another fit of giggles as soon as his back was turned.

"I can't stop," Edward wheezed as tucked his head into crook of his elbow.

I had tears in my eyes and had to clamp my hands firmly over my mouth to stifle the shrieks of hysterics that ripped their way repeatedly up my throat.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Again, let me know if you see any grammatical weirdness. ;)**

**And leave me some REVIEWS! **

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	22. Chapter 22: Like Magnets

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Like Magnets**

"Come over after school."

Edward's voice was low and deep as he walked me to Gym.

"Why?" I asked.

"We need to work on the project." Edward nodded his head towards the Biology building.

"Are your parents going to be there?"

"No," Edward responded with an almost unimpeachable smile.

"Uh-huh," I said, seeing right through his false innocence. "I think you just want to kidnap me…"

"What gives you that idea?" He asked. Edward's gaze was ravenous.

"Because if your parents aren't home…" I began as I slid my hand down the front of his blazer. "There wont be anyone there to interrupt us."

I felt Edward's hand, which sat resting lightly on my shoulder, drift and slide down the curve of my back. I couldn't help but purr like a kitten beneath his touch.

"Don't do that," he groaned huskily into my ear.

I let my eyes fall closed and tilted my head so that I could feel his breath sweep across my face and neck.

"Mmm…" I hummed as I arched my back against his drifting hand.

I didn't know why I was encouraging this public display of affection. Maybe it was because I was high as fuck. I knew I shouldn't have gotten high during lunch. It was too risky. I had no filter when I was under the influence.

Edward's hand slipped to my ass where he palmed me roughly through my skirt.

"Stop," I hissed as I jerked away from him.

His hand was quick. He gripped my skirt and yanked me firmly against his chest, my ass pressed tightly against his thighs and crotch.

"Bella," he whispered. "We need to work on our project."

A couple of weeks ago, in Biology, we were given a project that consisted of extended research on diffusion, osmosis and cell membranes. The entire class was given a topic question and we were asked to prepare research and a brief presentation with our lab partner. Edward and I had many notes, our entire research was just about done, but we hadn't gone over the presentation. Mostly we'd joke about just going up there and saying what we knew, but since the project was due tomorrow, I figured a bit of preparation didn't sound like a bad idea.

…and neither did time spent alone with Edward.

"Ok," I murmured as I jerked my ass against his growing hard-on.

Edward let out a small groan before he spun me around and pushed me roughly against the brick wall of the gym. I gasped from the impact, but allowed him to continue to thrust against me and bury his face into my neck.

"Edward," I breathed. "We're gonna get caught."

My eyes flickered around the schoolyard. There were a couple of girls walking by, their eyes trained on Edward's back as he sucked on my neck and hitched my leg up on his hip.

"I don't fucking care," Edward moaned against my skin. "I want you… now."

I felt my body quake beneath him and then shoved him away from me. He didn't fight me. Instead, he let out a raspy laugh. His hair was tousled, his shirt was wrinkled, and his eyes were pink and glassy, but through it all he looked flawless. The sight of him made me salivate. I swallowed thickly.

"Go to class," I said. My voice was heavy with want.

Edward's eyes flickered to my hands and I saw his pupils dilate as he watched me tug on the hem of my skirt.

"You're so fuckin' hot," he said. His voice was full of lust.

"Stop," I whimpered. But I couldn't stop my thighs from rubbing together.

He saw everything. His eyes took in the tiny details, the way my hands shook as I pulled on my skirt and the way my thighs clenched beneath his gaze. I wanted him to run his fingers between my legs and see how wet I was.

My eyes traveled over him once more before settling on his crotch. I could see the huge bulge in his pants and the sight of it made my heart accelerate. I swallowed again, my appetite steadily increasing.

I licked my lips and raised my gaze to his eyes.

"I know what you want, baby," Edward said. "I want it too."

My breathing became more labored as I absorbed his words.

The late bell rang and then the gym door suddenly burst open.

I jumped and shrieked before immediately breaking out into a fit of coughs. The surprise had made me choke on my own saliva.

Edward moved towards me and began patting me gently on the back. I didn't miss the way he hid his erection behind my coughing form.

"Oh!" a small voice said.

I looked up and saw a girl standing in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped.

"Its alright," Edward said, giving the girl a small smile.

Once my coughing was under control, I cleared my throat and stood up a little straighter.

"You're late for class, Edward," the girl said. My eyes flickered to her and I watched a playful smile twist her face.

She was very pretty, if you like that typical blond, and all around perfect, kind of girl.

"You're a little late yourself," Edward said. "Don't you have Algebra right now?"

"I had to see the coach. Cheer tryouts start during the summer," she said. Her voice was small and sweet.

Right, summer was coming up.

I saw her eyes flicker to me.

"I'm sorry," she laughed. "I'm being rude. I'm Tanya."

She stuck her hand out for me to shake. I stepped forward, taking her hand.

"Bella," I said.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she continued. "I didn't see you standing there."

"No worries," I murmured.

I glanced at Edward as I moved towards the gym door.

"I'm already late," I said to him. "I'll see you after school?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile. He watched me go through the doors before he turned to walk back the other way with Tanya.

I walked straight towards the gym, knowing the lockers would be closed because of how late I was. Once in the gym, I made my way towards my teacher.

"Miss Swan," Coach Clapp greeted me.

"Sorry I was late," I said timidly.

He gave me a disapproving look before marking my tardiness into his roster. I wouldn't be getting any points today and would have to make it up tomorrow. Would he make me do laps? I turned and walked towards the bleachers.

I caught Alice and Angela watching me. I offered them a small wave. Just because things were awkward, didn't mean I should ignore them. I saw Alice wave back enthusiastically.

As I sat there trying to wait out the hour, my mind drifted back to Tanya. I remembered hearing her name once. Jessica and Lauren were complaining about her at Emmett's party. From what I understood, Lauren seemed to be upset with her about something, but I hadn't paid too much attention to what exactly she was upset about.

When the bell finally rang, I called out a quick goodbye to Alice and Angela before I made my way out of the gym towards the parking lot. The fresh air felt nice on my skin, and it even helped clear my head. Luckily I felt sober enough to drive home.

I glanced around, but apparently I was one of the first students out of class. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Edward, telling him I would meet him at Charlie's.

Back at home I ran quickly up stairs to grab all of my notes and books for our Bio project. I was just in the process of packing up my heavy bag when I got a text. I fished my phone out of the front pouch and then frowned when I saw it was from Angela.

_Red alert. Tanya is on the prowl. Beware of the ginger bitch._ –Angela

_What?_ I wrote back.

I didn't understand what the hell she was talking about.

Just then, I heard the soft horn from Edward's Volvo. I gathered up my things and then rushed quickly down the stairs and out of the house. Edward was waiting for me on the porch.

"Is this all we need?" He asked as he took my bag and books from me.

"Yeah, that's everything," I said.

_But its not like we'll be doing much homework anyway, _I thought.

My tummy fluttered with anticipation.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked.

I glanced up and then blushed scarlet when I caught him scrutinizing my face. I didn't miss the cocky smile on his lips.

"Nothing," I lied as I climbed into the passenger seat.

"Bella, your phone," he said as he handed me my backpack.

I pulled my phone out and opened my text.

_Tanya. She's on the move. Keep your man close._ –Angela

I stared down at the phone for a minute, rereading her text.

_What the hell are you talking about? Who's Tanya?_ I wrote.

_Ask Edward._ –Angela

"Who are you texting?"

I looked up, meeting Edward's gaze.

"Who's Tanya?" I asked.

I watched Edward's eyebrows pull down into a small frown.

"You met her before Gym," Edward answered. "Why?"

My eyes flickered over his face as I thought.

"Angela's texting me. She told me to watch out for Tanya," I answered honestly.

Edward rolled his eyes before he turned his gaze back towards the road.

"Why do I need to watch out for Tanya?" I asked.

"You don't need to watch out for Tanya," Edward answered. There was an edge to his tone. "Angela is just being stupid. She doesn't like Tanya."

"How come?" I asked. I turned my gaze towards the window, trying my best to act neutral. I didn't want him to know how curious I was.

"I don't know. Because its Angela?"

I wanted to press him for more information. I wanted to ask him why Angela would think it wise to warn me. I contemplated texting Angela back to ask her, but immediately decided against it. If I needed to worry about Tanya then I would get the details from Edward myself.

"Well… why do think Angela decided to warn me about her?" I asked again.

"What did Angela say, exactly?"

"She said…" I scrolled through the text. "_Beware of the ginger… girl._ _She's on the move. Keep your man close._"

I watched Edward's frown deepen.

"I don't know what she's talking about," Edward said before his eyes flickered back to my face.

I frowned back at him.

"It's Angela, we're talking about," Edward said. "She's the queen of drama. You know that. She probably saw me walking to class with Tanya after I walked you to Gym."

"I'm not suspecting anything," I defended. "I'm just wondering why she thinks I should know about her. Did you guys used to… date or something?"

I watched Edward mull over my words. That was all the answer I needed.

"Oh," I said, and then I turned to gaze back out of the window.

"We didn't exactly date, Bella," Edward said. "We were just… kind of seeing each other. It was no big deal."

I nodded. I didn't want to ask if he was sleeping with her, because I already knew that the answer would be yes. He had told me already that he had been with a few girls. So I wasn't surprised that we went to school with one of them. Hell, we were probably going to school with all of them. I have probably spoken to each of them at one point without even knowing.

Understanding that these girls were real people wasn't my problem. It was just the reality of it. Saying that Edward had slept with a few girls before me was one thing, but actually meeting said _fuck-buddy_ was a total other thing.

I thought back to Tanya in her short skirt and tiny collared shirt. She had long blond curly hair that she curled in perfect sections. She was a little taller than me… and beautiful. She was every bit as lovely as my worst nightmares could have interpreted.

"Are you upset" Edward asked. His voice was tentative.

"No," I said. But my voice gave me away.

Edward let the subject drop, which I was grateful for. He was probably just as uncomfortable with the conversation as I was.

A few minutes later, we pulled up to his house. My head was still swimming with thoughts of Edward and Tanya, and I couldn't help but imagine him with her. On top of her, hugging her, kissing her…

I clenched my eyes shut, willing the horrible images away as I pushed the passenger door open. Thinking of them together was like torture.

Edward carried my bags for me as we walked up the shallow steps of his porch. We were quiet all the way up to his room.

"Excuse me," he said as he placed our things down on his couch before turning towards his bathroom.

I watched him go and then pulled off my blazer before busying myself with his vinyl collection.

"How do people do this," I murmured to myself. I tried over and over to unsuccessfully get Tanya out of my head.

I heard the toilet flush and then the unmistakable faucet before the door clicked and he stepped back into his room.

"Van Morrison or… The Animals?" I asked as I read through the song listings on the Van Morrison album.

"How about something a little more contemporary?" Edward suggested. "The White Stripes?"

"Sure," I agreed.

Edward reached for the CD while I replaced the records. I watched him replace the Black Keys CD with the White Stripes, _White Blood Cells_ album. His CD player looked very expensive, and the sound quality was just as amazing as his record player.

As the first song started, _Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground_, we made our way over to his bed, books and bags in hand. We spent the next few hours thoroughly preparing for our presentation. We avoided any discussions about Tanya or Angela or even sex all together. It was taking a toll on me. I didn't know if it was better to avoid it, or better to just talk about it because whether we mentioned it or not, it was the elephant in the room.

I couldn't bring myself to speak about it though. It was too awkward and too annoying. I began to realize that I was upset. I was… jealous. Jealous of Tanya's beauty, the playfulness in her voice, and the amber color in her brown eyes.

At around 7 we heard the low thud of the front door. Someone was home.

"I'll be back," Edward murmured as he slid off the bed and made his way to the bedroom door.

I sat up from the bed and walked over to his CD collection. I didn't want to listen to upbeat rock music. I wanted to listen to something sad or melancholy. Something that matched my mood.

"Nina will do," I murmured.

Edward had a _The Very Best of Nina Simone_ album. I dusted it off, placed it in the CD compartment and pressed play. I scanned through the tracks to number 12, _Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood_.

I knew it was lame, and I was dwelling in self-pity, but I couldn't help it. Nina was comforting. She understood me.

"Cause I'm just a soul whose intentions are good…" I sang softly to myself. "Oh lord, please don't let me be misunderstood…"

Warm arms enveloped me… but they didn't surprise me. Somehow, I knew he had been there. Watching me. It was as if my body was slowly becoming attuned to him. I could feel his presence; I could sense it in my skin… in my heart.

Edward rocked me slowly from side to side, his arms wrapped firmly around mine while his chin rest softly on my shoulder.

"Oh baby, I'm just human. Don't you know I have faults like anyone…?" His voice was a soft whisper in my ear. "Sometimes I find myself alone regretting, some little foolish thing… Some simple thing that I've done."

I felt my lips pull into a sad smile as a tear dripped from my eye. It was perfect. He was perfect. It was the only kind of apology he could give me… the only kind of apology I wanted to hear. He was human. He had had a life before I walked into his.

"I adore you," Edward whispered against my cheek as Nina's song came to a close.

My heart swelled and broke at the same time. Those weren't the words I was expecting. They weren't the same as the three little words I longed to tell him, but they were close. They were enough.

I let out a weak involuntary sob before Edward gently turned me around and pulled me against his chest.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. My hair muffled his words as he kissed me gently on the top of my head.

"I don't know," I said in a broken voice.

He hugged me for a second longer before he pulled away to brush away my dripping tears with his smooth thumbs. He gazed at me for a moment, his eyes roaming softly over my face, memorizing my leaky eyes, my tear stained cheeks, and puffy lips.

"I don't care about any other girl, Bella," he whispered. "You're the only girl I want."

All I could do was nod. I was too afraid of what my voice might sound like if I tried to speak.

Edward bent to kiss me. As soon as his lips made contact with mine, I gasped and slid my tongue forcefully into his mouth. The hunger I had felt earlier before Gym was back and it was stronger than ever. The love I felt for him in that moment was so overpowering, so consuming, I wanted nothing more than to be with him, to have him inside of me.

But Edward had other plans. He reached for my face and gently pushed me away.

"What is it?" I croaked.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "But my dad is down stairs."

My eyes widened and my cheeks burned with embarrassment… and anger.

"Oh, God!" I hissed. "But the moment was so perfect."

"I know," he chuckled again. "But we'll have a next time."

I nodded and let him kiss me one more time.

"But for now, you should go say hi."

"What?" I gasped.

"My dad knows you're here," he continued. "He'll think it's rude if you don't go acknowledge him."

"Uh… alright," I muttered as I turned for the bathroom. "Just give me a sec."

Once I was in the bathroom, I immediately turned to the mirror. Just as I suspected, my eyes were puffy, my lips were swollen my cheeks were flushed tomato red. I looked ridiculous.

_Fucking Cock-Block Carlisle!_ I thought angrily.

I quickly rinsed my face with some cold water and gently patted myself dry; no need to add extra redness to my face from a thorough rubdown across my cheeks. I looked a little better. I straightened my shirt and tugged on my skirt before finally leaving the bathroom.

Edward was sitting on the leather couch waiting from me. When I stepped out, I saw him sitting, eyes trained on the ground as he drew circles into his palm. He didn't even hear me enter.

"You ok?" I asked in a soft voice.

His head snapped up and he rose quickly to his feet.

"Yeah," he said, as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Uh… lets go."

Edward pulled his bedroom door open and led me down the stairs to his kitchen.

Carlisle was in the middle of stirring a pan full of vegetables. I also saw that he had some sliced meat marinating on a plastic cutting board.

"Dad," Edward said as we entered the kitchen. "You remember Bella."

"Ah, yes," Carlisle said as he cleaned his hands on a towel before offering me a handshake. "How are you Bella?"

"I'm great," I said as I took his hand. "How are you?"

"Good, good. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Um… sure," I said. I didn't want to be rude. "I just need to call my dad."

"Sure. There's a phone in the living room," Carlisle said.

I gave Edward a timid smile before I turned to call Charlie.

The phone call was quick. Charlie asked me who was home and when I told him that Dr. Carlisle was there, he said he agreed that it would be rude if I didn't stay for dinner. I couldn't help but be constantly surprised by how supportive Charlie was of my relationship with Edward. It was a trust thing. He trusted me and he trusted Edward and his intentions. And I knew that trust was also earned because of the fact that Edward was always respectful to me and to my father.

I hung up and placed the phone back on the receiver before I headed towards the kitchen.

"She's very beautiful," I heard Carlisle whisper to Edward.

I paused, my foot only inches from the kitchen doorway.

"I know," Edward agreed.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Carlisle pressed.

"Yes. She has been for a little while now."

"I'm happy to see that you are finally settling down a bit. You haven't brought a girl home in quite a while."

"Well, maybe you're forgetting Carlisle, but I've never brought a girlfriend home in my life." Edward's tone was cutting.

"I apologize if I've insulted you," Carlisle murmured. "That wasn't my intention."

"I know, I'm sorry," Edward said. "I'm just… I don't know…"

"There's something bothering you."

"I don't…" Edward murmured. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

Their silence grew deafening and I decided it was time to make my appearance. I stepped through the doorway and entered the kitchen, my boots squeaking softly on the hard tiles.

"Charlie said I could stay," I said as I walked up to stand closely beside Edward.

I glanced at his face and was surprised to see him so calm and collected. There was no trace of the conversation ever taking place.

"Excellent," Carlisle said with a wide smile. "Esme should be home soon. Edward, do you know where your brother is?"

"I can find out," Edward shrugged.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Emmett.

"He's with Tyler and Mike," Edward said before he threw a knowing glance in my direction.

I smirked at him.

"I wonder what they're up to," I murmured softly into his shoulder.

"I know," Edward snorted. "No invite?"

I rolled my eyes and took a seat at the island in front of Carlisle.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked.

"I think I've got it from here," Carlisle said. "Would you like something to drink? We have some iced tea. A Gatorade, perhaps?"

I chuckled at Carlisle eager expression as he dug through the opened refrigerator.

"Iced tea is fine," I said.

Carlisle poured two glasses of iced tea before opening himself a beer. I felt my tummy rumble longingly.

_I could go for a beer right about now,_ I thought.

"So what are we having?" Edward asked as he took the seat beside me.

"Steak and vegetables, a side salad, and… corn on the cob," Carlisle responded.

"I make a pretty mean salad," I said. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"She's a damn good cook, dad," Edward interjected. "You'll be missing out if you don't let her help."

"Oh, alright…" Carlisle laughed.

I made a quick salad by chopping up some tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, carrots and other various toppings. Edward watched me the entire time, cringing when the knife got too close to my fingers.

"Edward," I groaned. "I've been chopping vegetables since I was 10. Give me a break!"

"I don't know how you've gotten this far," he said as he peeked at me through his fingers.

"Stop it, or you're going to jinx me."

Edward shuddered, but kept his mouth shut.

Esme got home a little bit later, having had run late at work, followed by Emmett at around 8. He looked well put together, but his goofy grin gave away how high he was.

"Bella," Emmett said. "I didn't know you were here."

He walked over and gave me a quick one-armed hug just as I was helping Esme set the small kitchen table. Apparently, they only ate in the dining room during the holidays.

Dinner with the Cullen's was actually really easy. Almost everyone was talking, gossiping about work and school. It was very comfortable and not as intimidating as I thought it might be. Edward was quiet a lot though, mostly concentrating on his food or on me if I spoke. He didn't say much. The only time he made a comment was when he was directly involved in the conversation. It was weird and a little out of character, but definitely not unfamiliar. I had seen this Edward before… months ago. And to be honest, it made me nervous.

I kept catching myself watching him, scrutinizing his facial expressions and body language. He didn't _look_ out of the ordinary. He looked calm and happy, but I couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was hiding something. Like I had said earlier, my body was slowly becoming attuned to his. When he would shift, I would shift; like magnets. My senses were channeled to him. I could feel every breath he took; sense his pulse, an electric current against my skin.

We stayed connected throughout dinner, Edward's left hand placed softly in my lap. But there was something… something off about the way he looked at me, the way he spoke to his father. There was something there that he wasn't letting me see.

I began to wonder if his conversation with his father had something to do with it. If maybe he was upset with Carlisle about something. I didn't understand and I couldn't figure it out. But I knew it was there. I could _feel_ it.

Dinner ended an hour later and I was thoroughly stuffed on steak and corn and salad.

"I have to take Bella home," Edward said, when he caught the sleepy look in my eye.

"I'm alright," I chuckled. "It's just the food."

"We have a presentation tomorrow," he said. I watched the small smirk creep up his face.

I giggled again and got up to follow Edward up stairs.

"Dinner was nice," I said as I pulled on my blazer.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed. "I need a cigarette."

I laughed and agreed that a cigarette sounded really good.

Downstairs, I hugged everyone goodbye and thanked them for the delicious meal. Esme asked for me to come back again soon. She told me that she had tried my chocolate cake and wanted me to teach her how to make it some time. I laughed and flushed pink with gratitude.

Once in Edward's car, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes.

"Want one?" he asked.

"I don't know. Charlie might smell it."

Edward shrugged and stuffed the pack back in his pocket.

"Thanks for today," I sighed. "It was nice."

"Sure," he said.

I glanced out of the window, feeling awkward. I wanted to ask him what was on his mind, but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable. After all, I could just be over analyzing like I always did.

"What's up?" Edward asked, breaking me out of my internal monologue.

"What do you mean?"

"There's something on your mind," he stated matter-of-factly.

I shook my head, pretending that I hadn't been thinking anything.

"Bella," he groaned. "You should know by now that I can read you like the back of my hand. Tell me what you're worrying about."

"I'm not worrying about anything," I mumbled. "I'm just thinking."

"Go on…" he pressed.

"Well… is there something _you_ want to talk about?" I asked.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Like, anything."

"No."

"Are you sure? Because I think there is," I argued.

"Why do you always do that?" he asked. I glanced up to see him frowning down at me.

"Do what?" I asked surprised.

"That thing you do. You ask me if there's something bothering me and I tell you no. Then you ask me if I'm sure because _you_ think something is. I'm sure, Bella."

"You seem angry," I murmured.

He chuckled darkly.

"What would I be angry about?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "You just seem… off."

I watched Edward suppress an eye roll.

"Hey," I snapped. "I know you. I know your moods and I know your faces. I know you as well as you know me. I can _feel_ that there's something wrong, but you wont tell me what it is."

Edward pulled into Charlie's driveway before he turned to face me.

"There's nothing wrong, baby," he said. "I don't know what you're sensing, but whatever it is, it isn't coming from me."

I stared into his eyes. I didn't believe him.

"Why wont you talk to me?" My voice was low and wary.

Edward stared at me in confusion. I watched his frown deepen.

"You'll talk to Rose… but you wont talk to me," I continued. "I care about you Edward and I just wish… I wish you trusted me more."

"I do trust you," he snapped. "What is this?"

I flinched at the defensiveness of his tone.

"Look," I said. "I just know that sometimes you're thinking something or maybe feeling something that maybe you're not really comfortable sharing with me. And… and I just want you to know that I'm here and that I care."

Edward's eyes flickered over my face before he turned to peer out into the darkness. I watched his frown smooth into a mask of undeniable boredom.

"You should go inside, Bella," he murmured dismissively. "Charlie's waiting for you."

I stared blankly at his hard profile.

"Edward," I murmured. My voice betrayed me, showing how hurt I was.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

I felt my hands twitch. The need to hold him, to touch him was almost too strong to resist. But I did. I didn't reach for him and I didn't touch him… or kiss him.

"Goodnight Edward," I whispered before I climbed unsteadily out of his car and walked slowly up the stairs to the front door.

I didn't turn around to watch him leave, the tears were already coming and I didn't want him to see them.

The sound of him peeling out down the street broke my heart. Something was up. I just knew it, whether or not he'd admit it. Something was wrong.

I stayed outside for another fifteen minutes, trying to control the tears and the heartache I felt until I finally pushed the door open and walked inside.

Charlie was in the living room watching some action movie.

"How was dinner?" he asked when I walked in to greet him.

"Fine," I said. I tried to keep my tone bright. "I'm gonna head to bed. I have a presentation tomorrow."

"Alright," Charlie said. "Goodnight, kid."

"Night."

Upstairs I stripped down into my panties before climbing into bed half naked. I felt drained and depressed. It was the first time Edward hadn't kissed me goodbye in weeks.

I pressed my fingertips against my lips, and then regretted it when the tears came again. I didn't know what the hell was up with me. My emotions were going haywire. Maybe I would be getting my period soon.

I pushed that thought away. Excuses wouldn't help the pain I felt. I knew what my problem was. I was in love. Deeply in love with a boy who wouldn't confide in me. What was he so afraid of? Me?

I lay awake in bed for hours, watching the time click down. 10pm, 11pm, 12am. My head hurt from the relentless tears and never-ending thoughts. And then suddenly at 12:15, my phone beeped.

_I'm sorry._ –Edward

I released a small sob as I read his text.

_For what?_ I wrote.

_For being rude._ –Edward

_Its ok,_ I wrote.

_And for not kissing you goodnight._ –Edward

His words caused more irrational tears to fall.

_You're forgiven. Always,_ I wrote.

_I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight._ –Edward

_Goodnight_, I wrote.

I didn't fall asleep until after 1am, only to have nightmares about wolves and scary creatures in the dark.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Uh-oh... Am I sensing some foreboding? O_O -thats my worried face. lol**

**I'd like to welcome some of my new readers! I hope you're all enjoying my story. :D**

**_Jennifer Marie_, as always, you are awesome! And guuuurl, you should be an editor ;) **

**You guys know the rules, please let me know if you see any annoying grammatical errors. **

**And if you leave me some REVIEWS, I'll update tomorrow too! **

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	23. Chapter 23: Edward's Playlist

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Edward's Playlist**

I woke up the next day with a headache from hell.

I took a long shower, savoring the feel of the hot water against my face and body. The heat reminded me of Edward.

I didn't really want to go to school today. I didn't want to have to get up and move around and act like everything was all right, because it wasn't. I was tired, my head hurt… and if I was being honest with myself, my heart was hurting too. But I would go to school. I had to see him. I had to see Edward. I just hoped that today would be better. I couldn't handle another argument with him.

I left the house a little late. I didn't even bother doing my hair because I had spent most of my time applying concealer, trying to hide the dark circles beneath my eyes.

When I arrived to school, I immediately found Edward leaning against the trunk of his hatchback. The sight of him waiting for me caused nervous butterflies to flap anxiously in my tummy. I was so excited and so hesitant about seeing him, I didn't know if I wanted to burst into tears or throw up.

I pulled my backpack onto my shoulder just as Edward opened my door.

"Hey," he murmured.

My eyes flickered to his, meeting his gaze. The blank expression was still there. I wanted to throw up.

But then his expression shifted. His eyes flickered quickly over my face, taking in my puffy eyes and guarded expression.

He raised his right hand and gently stroked the pad of his thumb along the dark circle beneath my left eye. I watched him shake his head slowly, a small frown tugging at his lips, before he moved and led me towards the school.

Edward and I walked silently towards my first class, and when we got to the door, he gave me a lingering, gentle kiss on the cheek before turning away. I watched him go; hoping beyond hope that today would be a better day. I didn't want to fight anymore. I just wanted to be relaxed and happy. I just wanted him to hold me and kiss me and tell me how much he cares about me. I was starving for some affection.

I slipped into my Algebra class and tried to keep up with my teacher as he wrote equation after equation on the white board. I didn't do well with my notes. My mind kept wandering and my eyes hurt. World History and Spanish went by easily at least. We did a lot of classwork, and so I was too preoccupied with reading notes and scrambling out answers in worksheets, and therefore, my mind was able to take a break from my personal problems.

When English rolled around, I almost contemplated skipping. I didn't want to see Alice or deal with her annoying scrutiny.

And just as I suspected, as soon as I sat down beside her, she rounded on me. She kept asking if I was all right, or if I was upset about something and wanted to talk about it.

"I'm fine," I said. "Just a little tired."

"Angela told me she texted you yesterday," Alice whispered. "She said she was warning you about Tanya."

I nodded, looking away.

"Don't worry about Tanya, she's really not all that bad."

I released a deep sigh.

I wanted to turn around and tell Alice to mind her own damn business, but our teacher walked in just then, so I turned to my notes and began scribbling as he droned on through his lecture.

Lunch couldn't have come any slower. I was desperate to get away from Alice and just be alone. I wanted to see Edward, but I was afraid of what I might see in his eyes. And our fucking presentation was in a little over an hour.

When the bell rang I quickly packed my bag and rushed out of English, leaving Alice behind. And when I walked into the cafeteria, my eyes immediately found Edward, standing with Rose, Emmett, Mike and Jessica by the cafeteria doors.

"Hey," I murmured when I stepped up to them.

I saw Edward's smirk falter when he took in my expression. Did I look as bad as I felt?

"We'll meet you guys there," Edward said to Mike before he grabbed my hand and led me towards the lunch line.

The feel of his warm palm against mine was wonderful. It was smooth and hot. I felt my small hand curl into his, savoring the heat. I realized then that I had taken for granted how amazing it felt to hold his hand. To feel his soft skin against mine.

"Did you eat breakfast?" he asked in a low voice.

"No," I answered. "I ran a little late."

"How did you sleep?"

"Fine," I lied.

I heard him sigh softly beside me. I wasn't fooling anyone… not even myself.

When we reached the front of the lunch line Edward quickly grabbed a couple of pizza bagels, a banana, a fruit cup and two water bottles, which he paid for.

"Lets go eat in the woods by the parking lot," he murmured to me as he headed for the cafeteria doors.

"Ok," I said.

Edward carried our tray until we finally reached the clearing. I smelled the weed before I even saw them. Everyone was passing around a thick blunt. Edward and I took our place in the circle and I watched as he took a hit of weed before starting in on his lunch.

"Are you hungry?" he asked when he noticed I hadn't reached for my pizza bagel.

"Not really," I answered.

"I think you should eat," he urged. "You didn't have breakfast."

I didn't want to tell him that my tummy was already full… of anxiety.

"Bella, at least eat your banana," Edward murmured close to my face.

I met his gaze. I didn't know what I was expecting from him today, but seeing him act as if nothing had happened was worse that him being upset. If he was at least upset, then I would know that he at least cared to some extent. But he was shrugging off the argument as if it hadn't meant anything. It had. I was hurt, and I knew he could see that, but he ignored it. I just didn't understand why he was ignoring it. Was it more convenient for him?

"I'm not hungry," I said again, with a little more defiance in my tone.

Edward's eyes flickered over my face. His expression was smooth and calm before he turned and reached for the joint that was being handed to him.

"We have a presentation next hour," I murmured to Edward as he took his second hit from the joint.

I watched his cheeks flex as he took a long, lingering pull. I had declined when the joint was passed to me. I didn't want to be high for our presentation.

"I know," he said huskily before he released a thick cloud of smoke from his mouth and nose.

"You're going to be really high," I said.

"I know," he repeated. And then he turned to give me a small smirk.

The smile didn't reach his eyes.

I dropped my gaze and sat quietly waiting out the lunch hour. Edward refused the joint when Rose tried to pass it to him a third and fourth time, which I was grateful for. But he was still being cold and distant with me. I didn't know how to react to that. I didn't know if I should try to talk to him or if I should just give him some space. Space was the exact opposite of what I wanted, however. I wanted him close. I wanted him to hold me.

When the bell finally rang, we all got up and headed back towards the school.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Mike asked.

I heard Edward snort beside me.

"What's up with you guys?" Mike prodded. "You're acting weird."

I glanced up and saw Mike's eyes linger on the circles beneath mine.

"Just a little stressed," I said. "I don't like giving presentations."

Mike let out a raspy laugh.

We got to class seconds before the late bell rang, but once we entered, I noticed that Mr. Banner wasn't there yet. I made my way over to our lab table and withdrew my notes to prepare for the five minutes of embarrassment that would undoubtedly take place during my presentation.

Edward sat calm and relaxed as he watched me fuss through pages of notes.

After about twenty minutes, a woman walked in. It was the same administrative assistant as last time.

"Your teacher has called in sick today. He has asked for you all to read the next chapter in your text books and to prepare for your presentations, because they will be due tomorrow."

And with that she left.

I couldn't help the groan that slid from my lips.

"Why are you upset?" Edward asked.

"I just want to get it over with," I murmured.

I heard him chuckle softly beside me, and when I looked up, my heart melted from the toothy smile on his lips.

"Kiss me," I murmured softly to him.

His smile faded as he gazed down at me. I saw his eyebrows pull together in a small frown before he turned and leaned in towards me. He hesitated, inches from my lips. I watched his face, memorizing the soft curves of his eyes and the sharp angle of his nose and cheekbones. So beautiful.

I felt his fingertips suddenly glide softly against my temples before they drifted to my jaw, and then, at last, he pressed his lips to mine. This kiss was soft and lingering. I felt myself mold against the suppleness of his pout. He smelled like weed and pizza, and a little like soap and Old Spice. His scent was comforting. It was home.

I let my lips fall open so that he could deepen the kiss. His tongue was hot and wet as it slid softly against mine. His kiss wasn't eager or urgent; it was slow and steady, savoring the feel and the taste.

"I'm sorry I upset you," Edward murmured as he pulled slowly away from me.

My eyes were still closed as my head sat cradled in his hands.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered as he caressed my cheekbones and lips with his thumbs.

"Thank you," I whispered. I needed the apology.

We got up from our seats and followed the lingering classmates from the room. We didn't have much to do for the hour, so Edward led me towards the cafeteria where we could sit, huddled out of the rain for the remaining hour. We took our usual seats at our lunch table, but once I sat, Edward gripped my chair and slid me towards him.

"What are you doing?" I asked surprised.

"I just want you close," he murmured.

He pulled my thighs over his before eventually pulling me into his arms so that I could straddle his lap while he held me firmly against his chest. I felt his arms wrap tightly around my waist, his face buried deep in my neck.

I listened to him take deep breaths and every once in a while; he'd release a sigh of contentment. I let my eyes falls closed as I wrapped my arms securely around his head and neck. His body was so warm.

"Can I see you after school?" he murmured into my skin.

"Yes," I said. "Of course."

We stayed like that for the rest of the hour until the bell rang and we had to untangle ourselves. Edward walked me to the gym and gave me a soft kiss before he turned to jog quickly to his last class. Gym was fine, but just as I had suspected, Coach Clapp made jog a few laps around the gym to make up for yesterdays tardiness. It was awful, and I was sweating like a pig when I was done. Luckily, the locker rooms housed a few showers, so I was able to give my body a quick rinse before heading home.

When I pulled up to Charlie's house, I was surprised to see Edward already there, waiting for me on the front porch.

"Hey," I said when I approached him.

"Hi," he smiled.

"You're earlier than usual," I noted.

I watched Edward glance at the time on his phone.

"You're later than usual," he said. "Its 3:30."

Oh, right. The shower.

I nodded and opened the door. Edward followed me up my stairs to my bedroom where we removed our shoes and blazers. I watched Edward remove his beanie and collared shirt as well, before he turned to pull me into his arms.

He kissed me gently at first, but his kisses soon turned needy and ravenous. I didn't resist him. I wanted him as bad as he wanted me. I let his hands pull my shirt open and yank the zipper down from my skirt. Once I was in my bra and yoga shorts, his hands slowed to smooth caresses as he picked me up and laid me down on my bed.

"I don't want to fight anymore," he moaned huskily as he slid my damp panties down my legs and removed my socks.

"I don't want to fight anymore," I repeated breathlessly.

My breathing was steadily becoming more ragged and shallow as he leaned forward to remove my bra and pull the rubber band out of my hair.

"I don't want you to be upset anymore, Bella," Edward continued as he licked a path across my hip.

"I'm not upset anymore," I whimpered.

I watched Edward pull his undershirt over his head, before undoing his tan pants and tugging them down his hips.

"Tell me you forgive me." Edward's breath feathered across my bare crotch as he spread my legs open in front of him.

"I forgive you," I breathed shakily.

I felt my body jerk slightly when he draped my knees over his shoulders.

"Tell me you want me," Edward continued.

"I want you."

I felt Edward tongue and teeth graze against my inner thigh. I was dripping wet, ready for him to devour me.

"Please," I whimpered. I reached a hand down to gently stroke my clit.

"Tell me what you want," Edward breathed softly against my thigh. His hot breath and husky voice was driving me crazy.

"Taste me," I moaned. "Fuck me."

I felt Edward's nose nudge my hand aside before his tongue slipped between my folds, tasting me. I cried out, my hips bucking towards him repeatedly. He lapped me up skillfully and before I knew it, my orgasm rocked through me, wave after wave of stimulating pleasure.

Edward didn't wait for me to come down before he sat up and slid the condom onto his hard dick. Through blurry eyes, I watched him palm himself a few times before he positioned himself at my pussy.

I cried out again when he slid effortlessly into me, filling me completely. His cock pulled at my constricting walls, the sensitivity was intense from my previous orgasm.

"Shh…" he breathed into my face when my cries wouldn't die down. "Just relax, baby."

I felt him slide in and out of me, already falling into a steady rhythm. He fucked me gently at first while his lips and tongue sucked every inch of me that he could reach. And in return, I let my hands slide over his smooth back, his bulging arms and hard chest. His hands were gentle too as the palmed my breasts and ass. But even I couldn't keep my need for him at bay. Soon, I needed more and I pushed his torso away from me so that I could get him in the angle I needed him at.

He caught on to my signals quickly, he knew my body, and he knew my mind. He sat back on his heels and pulled my hips up to meet his thrusts. This gave him a new kind of deepness and gave me the kind of pleasure I was seeking.

I watched his eyes scrunch up in concentration as he picked up the pace.

"Fuck, baby," he gasped as he pounded into me.

"Edward," I cried.

My chest was heaving erratically and I had to scream to get the air out of my lungs. I was so close. So close.

The spring in my abdomen was tightening excruciatingly fast, ready to snap. I felt myself shudder and convulse around him as my climax reached its peak.

Edward's left hand slipped from my breast, down to rub circles against my clit. The spring inside of me snapped as I came. My hips jerked repeatedly against him and I felt Edward curl into me involuntarily.

"Fuck, baby," he groaned as he rode out his orgasm.

We lay there for a few moments, Edward's forehead pressed heavily between my breasts as he hovered over me, struggling to catch his breath.

After a moment Edward raised his head to kiss me sloppily along my jaw and neck. I hummed involuntarily. His body was heavy above me, restricting the airway into my lungs, but I clung to him anyway. I didn't ever want to be without him.

"I need to clean up," he groaned.

I loosened my hold on him and watched as he grabbed his underwear before heading out of my room towards the bathroom.

My eyes were heavy with sleep. I felt so sleepy and finally content, but I forced myself to stay awake. I didn't want to fall asleep yet. Not without him. I heard my bedroom door creak and then close before Edward slid into bed behind me before pulling my covers up over us.

"Are you awake?" he whispered into the silence of my room.

"Yeah," I croaked. "But I'm really sleepy."

I felt his arm slide beneath my head before he pulled me flush against this chest.

"Go to sleep," he murmured against my neck.

"Will you stay?" I asked.

"Yes."

I fell asleep seconds later.

I must have slept for hours because when I woke up I was alone in my dark room. My eyes flickered to the alarm clock and I saw that it was just after 8 pm. I sat up feeling dizzy and incredibly stiff.

"Edward?" I murmured.

But he wasn't there. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a cotton t-shirt from my drawer before I headed downstairs. As soon as my foot hit the top of the landing I heard voices. Edward and Charlie were in the living room watching TV.

"Hey sleepyhead," Charlie greeted me with a wide smile.

My eyes flickered from Charlie to Edward and then to the beer in Edward's hand.

"You're drinking? I asked.

"Just one," Edward said before he turned to wink at Charlie.

"His birthday is coming up. He's almost eighteen, Bell."

I snorted; a little surprised that Charlie was actually defending himself.

"Can I have one?" I asked sarcastically as I made my way over to Edward.

"Now, now," Charlie said in a gruff voice. "Just because I offered Edward one, doesn't mean I'm going to tolerate underage drinking. We were just having a few hours of man-to-man conversation, so I let him have a beer."

"Sure, sure," I said.

Edward pulled me over to sit between him and Charlie. Edward stayed for a few more hours while Charlie put on some weird horror movie and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep again against Edward's chest. I was only momentarily awoken when Edward carried me upstairs to my room and kissed me goodnight.

I smiled happily at him and settled in for a goodnights sleep. It seemed that we would be ok.

Over the next couple of weeks, I was scrambling, trying to come up with something for Edward's birthday. Recently I had talked to him about it and he told me that he didn't want anything at all. Apparently, all he wanted to do was stay in and hang out with me… alone. I decided on baking him a strawberry and vanilla cake for his birthday. I had it all planned out. Charlie was supposed to go fishing the weekend of Edward's birthday, so I decided that he and I could have a little party of our own in my bedroom, complete with cake, presents and a little roll in the sheets.

Just a few days ago, on a Tuesday afternoon, Rose and I had decided on having a little day out on our own while the boys stayed after school to meet with their football coach. I drove us into town to a coffee shop where we shared a slice of luscious apple pie and some hot tea, and then we walked over to a nearby thrift store for some shopping. That was when I saw the perfect gift. With the little cash I had, I came across an old antique harmonica. It was beautiful, a Hohner 270, made completely of stainless steel and aged Pearwood.

Edward had told me once that he had always wanted to learn to play the harmonica, so what better way to learn than with your very own. I knew he would love it.

Rosalie thought it was a little silly, and urged that I should really be using my money to buy myself some sexy lingerie, but I decided against it. To me, the lingerie would last all but five minutes before Edward ripped it off of me. A harmonica would last a lifetime.

So finally, with Edward's harmonica wrapped, I was busy freaking out about all of the plans and the cake that needed to be made for Edward this coming weekend. Even though he said he didn't want a party, I knew that having some kind of celebration was definitely needed. He deserved it.

I talked to Emmett and Rose and they thought the best thing to do was to throw Edward a Birthday Bonfire at First Beach on Saturday, the night before his birthday. I agreed immediately and made plans for Emmett to drive that night, so that Edward can get as drunk and high as he wanted. And then Rose and I spread the word. Mike and Tyler were incredibly helpful. Mike offered to get a group of people to set up at the beach before we arrived, while Tyler ran around getting money from everyone to buy the booze. Emmett also made a call to Sam Uley, after I told him that Edward used him as a connection to get booze for his birthday.

At last, it was Friday night, and as I prepared Edward's surprise cake for Sunday morning, I was on the phone with Rose trying to come up with what we should plan for Edward tomorrow morning to keep him in the dark before the party.

"_We should go see a movie,"_ Rosalie suggested. _"We could go down to Port Angeles."_

"Yeah, that sounds good," I agreed. "Maybe we can get some dinner or something, kill time until we head down to First Beach."

"_Exactly,"_ Rose laughed. _"He'll be totally unaware. We just have to keep him occupied."_

"So who's gonna pick up the alcohol?" I asked.

"_Mike is tomorrow on his way to the beach. Stop worrying Bella, it'll be fine."_

"I know, I know," I moaned. "I'm just naturally a really anxious person. Its ridiculous."

"_How's the cake coming?"_ she asked softly.

"It's coming," I murmured. "I have all of the strawberries chopped and ready. The buttercream frosting is done and setting in the fridge. I just need to bake the cake."

"_Ugh!"_ Rose moaned into the phone_. "Please save me a slice. It sounds so gooood!"_

"I gotta go, Rose," I laughed. "I need to finish this up."

"_Alright. See you tomorrow."_

"Bye."

A few hours later, the cake was layered, frosted, and ready to be eaten. I hoped I didn't make it too soon. I packed it away in a store-bought cake dish and then ran upstairs. There was a little something extra I wanted to make for Edward's party, a mix CD with all of the songs that reminded me of him. I had downloaded twenty dollars worth of music on iTunes that afternoon and now all I had to do was burn it. There were 20 tracks, and among them were songs by the Beatles, Bob Marley, Journey, the Sunshine Underground, Johnny Cash, the Strokes, the White Stripes, some Van Morrison, and Nina Simone.

I smiled happily to myself as I completed the burned disc. I titled it _Edward's Playlist _with a sharpie.

Edward had been texting me all night, asking me how I was doing and what I was up to. He was suspicious that I was planning something behind his back, which I was, but I told him that there were some things I needed to take care of in order for us to have a pleasant Sunday home alone together. That kept his questions at bay.

But at last, it was Saturday morning, June 20th, and I woke up bright and early. I showered and dressed in dark skinny jeans and a shear black _Sneaky Peek Cami_. It was a little transparent, especially on the sides, hence the 'sneaky peek' title, but it had a lot of decorative textures which drew attention away from what was going on underneath. I threw it together with my vans and leather jacket. I made sure to style my hair in smooth waves and a lot of hairspray, to keep it from frizzing, and some eyeliner and mascara. I was ready to go before noon, so I called Edward to see what he was up to.

"_Hello?"_ he answered.

"Hey," I greeted. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face.

"_Hey, what's up?"_

"What are you up to?"

"_Not much. Just spent the morning working out with Emmett. He's being an animal today…"_

I let Edward ramble on about the different weight training routines Emmett had him do. I only understood about half of the exercises he mentioned, but I laughed along with him anyway.

"So… got any plans today?" I asked when he finally took a breath.

"_Not really. Wanna do something?"_

"Yes," I chuckled. "I was talking to Rose last night and we were thinking that it would be fun if you, me, Rose and Emmett went to Port Angeles for the day. You know, to hang out. Maybe see a movie?"

"_Yeah,"_ he agreed_. "That sounds cool. What time?"_

"Whenever. Talk to Emmett and get back to me."

We hung up and I immediately called Rose.

"He's in for Port Angeles. Get ready!"

I listened to Rosalie laugh hysterically at me over the receiver.

"_Alright, bitch. I'll see you soon,"_ she said before we hung up.

An hour later I was calling out a quick goodbye to Charlie before I headed out to Emmett's waiting Jeep. Charlie was in on the plan, besides the booze part, and told me to wish Edward a happy birthday for him. I agreed with a wide smile before I locked the deadbolt behind me.

Edward was in the back seat, looking fresh and beautiful in dark jeans and a snug white t-shirt and dark Ray Bans. My eyes flickered over his wild hair and scruffy chin, down to his leather jacket that sat draped over his knee. I made sure to slip the mix CD into Rosalie's hand before I climbed into the back seat beside Edward.

It was nice out today, sunny in the high sixties, so Emmett kept the top down during the drive to Port Angeles. This caused some upset shrieks and groans from Rose and I as our hair whipped wildly out of control. But Edward seemed to love it. He had a huge smile on his face the entire time as he watched me try uselessly to tame my hair.

"I love your hair," he whispered to me as we pulled off the freeway.

"Thanks," I laughed as I ran my finger through endless tangles.

We decided on having lunch at _Barbara's Diner_, which I was totally happy with, and then Rose, Emmett and I asked them to bring out a slice of chocolate cake so that we could sing Happy Birthday to Edward. It was amazing, and the smile on his face was priceless. We spent the remainder of the day walking along the streets of the Port Angeles Harbor and visiting the little modest shops nearby.

We passed the shop of handmade accessories, and I blushed when Edward gently ran his finger over the chain around my neck. I hadn't told anyone about the gift Edward gave me on our first date. I fiddled with the feather that sat resting just above my breasts, beneath my shirt.

When it hit 6 pm, Emmett whispered to me that everything at First Beach was set up, so we decided to head out.

"I'm thinking we should get him stoned," Emmett murmured to me as we walked back towards the parking lot.

Edward was up ahead with Rosalie, laughing and being silly.

"You have some on you?" I asked.

"Yeah," Emmett murmured. "So I'm thinking that you and Rose should distract him. Smoke a little with him so that he doesn't notice me pulling up to the beach. It'll be better that way."

I agreed with a wide smile before Edward pulled me into the Jeep and we set out onto the freeway towards First Beach.

Like Emmett had planned, Rose and I convinced Edward to smoke some weed with us, so Emmett put up the convertible top and we ended up hot boxing the car. It was fun, and after my third pass, I was totally stoned.

"No more, no more," I pleaded when Rosalie tried to force me to take another hit. "No, seriously, Rose. I'm fucking high… I don't think I can handle any more."

Edward took one more pull from the pipe and then told Rosalie he was done as well.

"Thank you for today," Edward murmured softly to me. "I had a good time."

I smiled widely at him. Little did he know, his birthday was just beginning.

"You're so beautiful, Bella," he whispered softly to me as he gazed down at my wide smile.

I felt my heart swell from his words before I pulled his face roughly against mine in a wet kiss. His lips and tongue were eager and sloppy and before I knew it, Edward was groping me in the back seat.

"Ew!" Rosalie exclaimed loudly when she heard me moan in the back seat. "Keep it PG, assholes!"

Edward released my lips with a loud smack before letting out a loud husky laugh. He was so high, I could tell and I loved it.

We pulled up to the beach minutes later.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I cried out before Edward turned to climb out of the car.

I grabbed Rosalie's scarf, which had been thrown in the back seat, and asked Edward to turn around.

"Why?" he asked confused.

"It's a surprise," I said. My smile was back and it was so big that it actually hurt my cheeks.

I watched Edward gaze curiously at me before he turned around and closed his eyes.

I tied Rosalie's scarf snugly over his eyes before Emmett helped him, and myself, out of the Jeep.

"We're at the beach…" Edward murmured as he walked blindly through the sand.

"Yup," I giggled relentlessly.

"You're not going to rape me, are you?" Edward asked with a wide smile. "Because I don't think I'd mind it if you did."

Edward turned to pull me roughly into his arms. I laughed loud when his fingers dug into my sides, tickling me.

I was only barely aware of Rosalie groaning in annoyance.

We continued to walk through the sand towards the roaring fire and then I giggled again when I saw that everyone was there waiting silently for us to get closer. I could see almost all of their faces, many I knew and many I still didn't. They all looked as excited as I felt, with wide eager smiles on their faces and many red cups in their hands.

I heard Rose giggle softly beside me before she grasped my hand and whispered "Now!" into my ear.

I pulled the scarf off of Edward's eyes seconds before everyone screamed a loud "Surprise!" into the night.

Surprising Edward for his birthday was so much more fun than surprising Emmett.

Edward stood shocked for a moment before he broke out into a fit of heavy laughter. I watched him for a moment, making a personal memory of his face and laugh. I wanted to remember it for the rest of my life.

Edward caught me watching him and I watched the wide smile slowly slip from his face. What replaced it was an expression full of adoration and happiness. He moved towards me, his shoulders swaying as he trudged through the sand, before he pulled me into his arms and gave me long, lingering kiss.

"You did this?" he gasped when he finally released my mouth.

"Yes…" I breathed. "W-with everyone's help. Em, Rose, Mike and Tyler helped a lot."

I watched Edward slowly shake his head in admiration.

"How did I not know?" he asked incredulously.

"You're not very observant," I giggled.

Edward rolled his eyes once before he kissed me and set me back down on my feet.

Just at that moment, I heard some loud rap music start up and everyone started dancing or pulling Edward into tight hugs. I let him go and watched as he made his rounds, thanking people and laughing when they wished him a happy birthday.

"Not bad, huh?" Rose asked from beside me.

I giggled and met her gaze.

"It feels pretty good to make someone that happy," she said with a wide smile.

"It really does," I laughed. "He looks really happy."

"When do you want to play your CD?" she asked.

"Later. Once the excitement has died down."

Rose nodded before towing me towards the keg to get a beer.

"Bella!" Jessica screamed when I came into view. "What do you think?" She gestured towards the table littered with alcohol, birthday hats, cups and bags of chips.

"Its great!" I said. "Did you do this?"

She nodded, a very triumphant smile on her face.

"Aww, thanks Jess," I giggled. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I know," she shrugged. "I wanted to."

Jessica was really growing on my lately. I hung out with her a lot during the past few weeks, mostly because she was always with Mike. She was really sweet and kind and really funny, especially when she was high. I was grateful to have her around. She was a bit of a gossip queen, but she didn't house as much drama as Angela and Rose had made it seem. Actually, Rosalie was even beginning to really like Jess as well.

"You remember Tanya, don't you," Jessica interrupted my thoughts.

I glanced up to see Tanya standing a foot behind Jessica, a small smile on her perfect lips.

"Yeah," I said. I forced a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm great," she laughed as she leaned forward to give me a quick hug. "The party looks great and Edward looked really surprised. Great job."

I felt weird about her congratulating me.

"Well, I don't deserve all the credit," I shrugged off her compliment. "Everyone pitched in. It was a group effort."

"Of course, of course," she giggled.

I spent the next hour hanging out mostly with Jessica, Rosalie and Tanya, which was a little awkward… but still surprisingly nice. Tanya was very sweet and very playful. I got along with her pretty well. We had similar taste in music, but very different taste in fashion. Tanya was wearing a glittery party dress with tights to a bonfire, but who was I to judge.

The night was moving smoothly and so I finally decided it was time to go hunt down Edward. I found him a little later, taking shots with a couple of guys I didn't know.

"Bella," Edward yelled when I came into view.

"Hi," I said timidly when I took his outstretched hand.

"Bella, this is Royce and Kirk," Edward introduced. I recognized Kirk from my Spanish class.

"Nice to meet you guys," I said with a small wave.

"Nice to meet you too, Bella," Royce said with a wide smile

Edward introduced them as being on the football team.

"You gonna try out for the cheerleading squad this year?" Royce asked.

"Uh… definitely not," I grimaced.

"Why not?" he pressed. "Your boyfriend is on the team."

"I know," I laughed. "But I'm clinically uncoordinated."

I watched Royce and Kirk frown down at me, obviously a little confused.

"Is that possible?" Royce asked.

"She's kidding," Edward murmured through pursed lips. He was trying to hold back his laughter.

"Well, this was awkward," I muttered. "I'm gonna go find Rose."

"I'll come find you in a minute," Edward said with a wide smile.

I giggled at his tipsy expression and turned towards the various groups of people. I found Rosalie soon after and told her that now was the time to put on the CD.

"Finally!" Rosalie laughed as she rushed over to large stereo equipment. "Are you gonna tell him you're putting it on?"

"No," I laughed. "Ill let him come find me once he notices the pattern."

Rosalie winked at me before placing the CD into the compartment. The Bob Marley song, _Three Little Birds_, was the first track.

"Aww, Bella…" she laughed when she turned to hug me.

"Stop, stop," I giggled, swatting her away. "Its no big deal."

"Yes it is," she moaned. "I love that you did this. It's so sweet. You know, I always knew that you guys would end up together. Especially after that night, the way you were looking into each other's eyes… stars flying…"

I laughed hard and blushed scarlet when Rosalie batted her eyelashes at me.

"Rose! Stop!"

She giggled and then nudged my arm roughly.

"Lets go dance," she said.

I followed her back towards Jessica and Tanya and then stood swaying casually to the music while I sipped from my beer.

It wasn't until a few tracks later when I spotted Edward watching me from a distance. His expression was dazed and I could see him rubbing circles into his palm. I smiled at him. I knew he recognized the songs, especially when the Beatles, _All My Loving _was playing.

But he didn't approach me. It as if he was stunned to the spot. I stared at him for a moment, waiting, but he didn't move.

"I'll be right back," I murmured to Rose before I turned to walk towards Edward.

He watched me approach; the same dazed expression still on his face.

"Hey," I said with a shy smile.

"Bella," he murmured. "Did you… is this...?"

I nodded.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," I said.

I watched a mixture of emotions play across his face before I reached for him. But to my surprise, he stepped away from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

I watched Edward's face contort. First there was that dazed look, followed by the surprise, and then anger and maybe fear? It happened so quickly I wasn't sure if I saw it right, because as soon as one emotion filtered through, another replaced it until at last… there was nothing. His face was empty.

"Why did you do this for me?" he asked. His voice was cutting.

"What do you mean?" I asked shaken. "What's wrong?"

"Why would you do this for me, Bella? Why would you make a CD like this?"

I could see the anger and pain building in his eyes. Try as he may, he couldn't hide his eyes from me. I knew them too well.

"Why are you so upset?" I asked. My voice low and shaky now.

"I'm not upset," he spat. "Why would I be upset?"

"Ok," I breathed. "I don't know what I did, but whatever it is, I'm sorry alright? Please don't be angry."

Edward took another involuntary step away from me.

"What the hell is wrong?" I asked again in a panic.

"This is wrong," Edward murmured.

I watched his eyes shift around chaotically. His voice was low and deep, lacking emotion. It was as if he was speaking to himself… or maybe a ghost. Like his inner thoughts were suddenly surfacing.

"I'm so stupid, I don't know why I thought I could change," he mumbled. His voice was dead now. "I can't do this, this is over."

"What?" I asked. "What's over?"

"I can't do this, Bella. This is over. Its over."

I stared up at him. I could feel the bile rise up in my throat. My heart was pounding so hard, a stabbing ache in my chest. I was teetering on insanity. What had I done? Was it the CD?

"Wait a second!" I urged. "Just wait a minute."

Edward shook his head, his eyes never meeting mine.

"I shouldn't have done this," he murmured in that same dead voice. "I shouldn't have fucking tried. I shouldn't have let this go on for so long. There's no point. I won't change."

"Edward," I whimpered.

I could see him slipping away.

He took another step away from me, the distance between us rising like a wall of steel. I could see it in his face. He was done. He was closing up. He was… leaving.

"I'm sorry I did this to you," he murmured. "But I can't be what you want me to be, Bella." His eyes finally met mine. "I can't give you what you want."

I watched as he turned his back to me.

"What are you saying?" I choked out.

I watched Edward's head turn slightly, to speak to me over his shoulder.

"I don't love you."

I stood frozen to the spot, watching his retreating form as the night swallowed him up. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. There was nothing, but pain. Deep, aching pain coming from every pore on my body.

I glanced around, my body in a kind of limbo.

I caught sight of Rosalie. She was quite a distance away, but it didn't matter. I watched the surprise and understanding flicker across her face just as her red cup dropped to the ground. And then she was running towards me, plowing through the thick sand. I felt myself falling. I felt my knees hit the sand as I watched her move toward me. She was saying something, but I couldn't hear her. The pain had numbed all of my senses. There was nothing but the realization that lingered.

Edward didn't love me. He didn't want me anymore. It was over. We were… over.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard Nina Simone sing out… only this time her words brought me pain instead of comfort.

_Oh baby, I'm just human. Don't you know I have faults like anyone? Sometimes I find myself alone regretting, some little foolish thing… Some simple thing that I've done._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Ahh! Ok! Don't worry, the story isn't over yet, peeps! :D**

**Please don't hate me, I know this chapter is probably going to piss a lot of you off, but there is still more to come! Stay with me, I'll be updating again ASAP!**

**Also, let me clear a few things up. Edward's defensive reaction in the previous chapter, the wall he puts up, the fight, all of that, it didn't happen because of Tanya. It happened because he admitted something that he's been trying to burry deep. I wont say much more than that, because we are supposed to be on this ride with Bella. But answers will come out… from HIM, eventually.**

**Leave me some REVIEWS, folks! Tell me what you think! (Even though I'm hiding in the corner right now, shielding myself from flying iPhones, iPads and keyboards.)**

**Also, once again, if you see grammatical errors, just let me know. ;)**

_**Kimchi Blue Sneaky Peek Cami**_**, is the name of Bella's top. I own one! It's from Urban Outfitters and I simply love it! **

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	24. Chapter 24: Dejection

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Dejection**

Summer break.

I was having one of my bad days, sitting in the middle of my bedroom, going through boxes of clothes and books while listening to music that reminded me of _him_. Recently, it seemed I was beginning to have masochistic tendencies… well, not really. But I was having one of those days.

It was only a few weeks into summer break and I was going through a withdrawal. I had done really well the final days of having to sit beside him, not speaking, not touching… only secretly looking. I had gotten through it. Somehow. But now, his lack of presence was taking its toll.

This was only the fourth time I had succumbed to this kind of behavior. The last few times had been worse. I had played the CD I made him, over and over on repeat so that I could just dwell in my own miserable head and let the pain completely annihilate my heart. It was Al Greene and Nina Simone that usually did me in.

Today I was doing well. I was at least still moving around and I was listening to a mix of songs that only _reminded_ me of him. Not the songs that we actually shared.

Did this mean I was improving?

"Bella?" I heard Rosalie's voice coming from my bedroom door.

"And everything looks so complete... when you walk out on the street. And the wind catches your feet, and sends you flyin'… Cryin'…" I sang softly to myself.

Van Morrison's, _Wild Night_, was playing softly from my iTunes.

"Bella," Rose said again.

"Ooo… Ooo-wee… Wild night… is callin'." I continued to ignore her.

Rosalie had come to check on me at least once every few days to make sure I hadn't killed myself. I didn't understand her worry. I thought I was doing well. I was convincing enough, even for Charlie. And I hadn't broken down crying… well, not in front of them at least.

The night of his party, and even the day after, hell… even the fucking week after, I had held it together in front of all my friends. I did pretty damn well. I got up for school every day, and I did my hair and makeup. I even got fucking A's on my finals.

I still remembered that Saturday night… his birthday night. It was a constant nightmare, a constant _day_mare. It followed me everywhere I went. The images, the sounds, the pain. I never wanted to go to the beach again.

I closed my eyes, remembering… sticking the knife in deeper.

I had only been barely aware of the hands gripping my arms, towing me towards the dark parking lot. My ears were pulsing, with his last few words.

'_I can't give you what you want. It's over. I don't love you.'_

My heartbeat was a loud drum, banging against my temples, against my brain. I had to blink hard to get myself to look around.

I remember Rose holding me. Her face looked strained and upset, but she wasn't crying or anything. Her eyes stared straight ahead and she was saying something. I couldn't understand her though because the pulsing in my ears kept me deaf.

I glanced to my other side and was surprised to see that Jessica had been there as well. She had my other arm. I remembered the way her glittery nail polish looked as she gripped my hand.

It was her car we were walking towards. I remembered how weak my legs felt as I stumbled blindly across the pavement, before Rose suddenly pushed me into the back seat of Jessica's car. I wasn't crying, at least… I didn't think I was. I remember feeling totally and completely numb. Maybe I was in shock.

The drive home was very quick because I missed most of it. It seemed that I had been blacking out, or maybe I was just too fucking traumatized to remember all of the details. I was still a little stoned, however, so maybe that was why I had felt so numb.

We arrived to Rosalie's house and I let her pull me out of Jessica's car. I followed her blindly up her front steps and then through the house to her bedroom. I remember it being very warm in her room. My eyes had flickered to the big white bed and instantly the down blanket had reminded me of _him_. The thought made my heart break a little more and I had to suppress a whimper.

"_Maybe I should get her some water," _Jessica had said. _"She doesn't look to well."_

"_I'll get it,"_ Rose had murmured. _"Just stay here with her."_

"_What happened?"_ Jess asked. _"What did he say to her?"_

I remember turning away from them, away from Jessica's pathetic expression. I wanted to fade into the walls. I wanted to disappear and just be… alone.

Rosalie had left the room in silence, without uttering one word to Jessica. I appreciated the fact that she didn't say anything… though I wasn't sure if Rose even knew what had happened.

Jessica had left a little while later, saying that she had to pick Mike up because she was his designated driver or something.

Rosalie didn't bombard me with questions or comments that night. She just sat silently next to me, gently stroking my hand, which sat dead in her lap.

"_You need to call Charlie,"_ Rose had finally said to me. _"He'll be worried."_

I remembered not putting up much of a fight until Rosalie pressed my phone to my ear.

"_Bells?"_ Charlie answered. _"You alright?"_

"_Yeah."_ I remembered my voice being barely above a whisper. _"I'm with Rose. I'm… I'm gonna spend the night here."_

"_Are you alright? You sound strange,"_ Charlie responded.

"_I'm fine dad. I'm just tired."_

"_Are you sure? I can go pick you up."_

"_I'm sure."_

"_Well, alright. Where's Edward? Did he have a good birthday?"_

I flinched as I recalled Charlie's words, and then mentally scolded myself for not remembering to block his name out.

"_Yeah,"_ I had croaked to Charlie. _"I'll talk to you later."_

"_Ok. Goodnight Bella. Call me tomorrow."_

During that night, at some point I felt Rose pull off my jacket and shoes before she tucked me into bed beside her. But I didn't sleep that night, nor did I sleep during many of the nights that followed. As soon as she turned the lights out, she pulled me into her arms and held me, gently stroking my hair. But still, I never slept.

That night, as Rosalie lay curled up asleep beside me, I took that opportunity think of _him_. I thought about his perfect face, starting from his tousled hair, working my way down over every individual feature, remembering him… memorizing him. I didn't want to forget a single thing, and I still haven't. I wanted to recall every smile, every laugh, every soft-spoken word… every touch, every kiss, every moment.

My heart burned with pain from the memories that flashed through my mind, as I sat with my legs crossed in the middle of my room, recalling that night after the party. But I did what I could to burry those feelings down instantly. I didn't want to cry right now. Not in front of Rosalie. Maybe I would save that for later tonight.

My heart was so broken, a gaping hole in the middle of my chest. The pain was excruciating. But it wasn't the kind of pain that lingered from a physical wound. It was an internal pain. An emptiness, a longing. A psychological pain. It was the worst kind of torture because I knew that no matter what I did, it would never go away. But I didn't care. It was a reminder. A constant reminder that I had loved someone… loved him more than I had ever loved anything in my entire life.

I thought about when, at around 7 am, the Sunday after his party, Rosalie had finally woken up and borrowed her father's car to drive me home.

That Sunday, she came inside with me and followed me into the kitchen.

"_Where's Charlie?"_ she had asked.

"_Fishing,"_ I responded.

I remembered walking over towards the cake that sat perfect and untouched in its plastic cake dish. I pulled the cake out and set it down on the kitchen table before grabbing two forks.

"_Want some?"_ I asked Rosalie.

She had taken the fork from me and sat beside me at the small kitchen table.

I was the first to take a bite. I dipped my fork into the supple top layer, scooped up a piece and then took a bite. It was perfect.

"_What happened, Bella?"_ Rosalie had asked me in a small voice.

"_He broke up with me,"_ I told her.

"_But… but why?"_ she had pressed.

"_I pushed him,"_ I told her. _"I pushed him away from me."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I knew he wasn't ready," _I said. _"He's been acting weird for a while now. He was being distant. He didn't want to let me in… so I pushed."_

I remembered the look on Rosalie's face as she stared blankly at me, obviously very confused.

"_He doesn't want me, Rosalie,"_ I had said to her. _"It doesn't matter why."_

I had finally let myself cry that night, once Rosalie had gone. I had the house to myself, half of his cake and his stupid harmonica and ukulele to keep me company. I collapsed in my bed and cried for hours, but I never slept. I couldn't sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, I thought of his face and his soft-spoken words. It was too much and I was afraid that once I'd fallen asleep, I'd relive the nightmare that was his birthday party. I couldn't do that. Not yet, anyway.

The next day I had showered, dressed, did my hair and makeup. I had decided that I would go to school and go about my day as a strong independent woman. I didn't want him to see me sulk because I knew that if it didn't cause a reaction from him, it would tear me down even further.

School had been torture. I remember getting through my first handful of classes in a kind of a daze, and then when lunch rolled around, I met Rosalie at our usual lunch table. He hadn't gotten to the cafeteria yet.

I remembered the way he looked, gliding through he cafeteria doors. The way his hoodie was pulled up over his beanie, the way his shoulder's swayed as he approached Emmett and Mike. My eyes drifted over the length of him before finally catching his eye.

I hadn't realized that I was hoping, praying that he would turn to me and apologize. But when I met his gaze, I saw the dead emptiness that lingered there. It wasn't until his eyes flickered away that I knew he wasn't sorry and that he wasn't going to apologize. And that was when I realized I actually had been hoping for it.

Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope causes problems… an extra pain that I didn't need. A physical and psychological suffering.

I remember watching him, completely paralyzed, as he moved towards Mike before they both turned to leave the cafeteria.

Biology had been worse. We both sat completely motionless beside each other. He didn't look at me, he didn't speak to me. It was as if I was invisible. But the only thing that kept me from truly believing that he didn't notice me was the look in his eye and his rigid posture that never softened. He could feel me, just as much as I could feel him. I was certain of that, but still, it didn't bring me the slightest bit of comfort because I still knew that he didn't want me anymore. I knew that he never would.

The last week or so that followed, leading up to our summer break, had gone by like a slow, endless burn. Minutes blurred into hours, hours blurred into days. I had buried myself in my studies, doing everything I could to not think or feel. It was as if my body had begun working on autopilot, doing what it could to get me through the rest of the semester.

He never came back to the cafeteria, so I was free to sit, numb and emotionless with a group of friends I didn't care to see or speak to. It was only in Biology that I allowed myself to look at him. I would glance at him out of the corner of my eye, soaking in his beautiful face, his dead expression, his stiff posture. The way his clothes clung to his perfect body, the way his hair peaked out of his black beanie.

I wanted to remember everything about him.

When finals had ended, I walked away from Forks High feeling relieved that I wouldn't have to see him again for at least a few months. But already, three weeks in to summer break I was suffering. I needed a taste of him. And that's where Van Morrison came in. His voice and his music reminded me of him.

"Bella!" Rosalie yelled, finally breaking me out of my own head.

"What?" I snapped.

"What the fuck, I've been calling your name over and over."

"Can't you see I'm busy?" I asked in a low voice.

"Bella," Rose began. "You've been locked up in your house for weeks. You need to get out of here."

"I'm cleaning," I argued.

I followed Rosalie's gaze around my room. I hadn't cleaned in weeks, not since school ended.

"You need to get out of the house," she continued. "This isn't healthy. You need some fresh air. You need to be active. Holding up inside your room listening to emo music is just going to make this whole thing worse."

"I'm perfectly happy where I am," I murmured. "I don't want to go out."

"Come with me to school," she urged. "I have to go drop off some paperwork to my cheer coach. Come with me."

I shook my head, as I continued to dig out books from the box I never unpacked.

"If you don't come with me, I'm going to just sit here and bother you all fucking day," Rosalie threatened.

I sighed, contemplating.

"Fine," I said.

If going with Rosalie would get her off my back for a few days, then I would do it.

I took a quick shower, pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the Strokes logo on it, my Vans, and grabbed my zip-up hoodie.

Rosalie gave me a small smile as she followed me out of Charlie's house to the old red Honda Civic her father bought her this summer.

The drive to school went by quickly and before I knew it, I was climbing the steps in the gym, up towards her coach's office.

"I'll be right back," Rosalie said as she entered the small office.

I stood there silently for a while until I suddenly felt a small wave slowly rake up my body. It was as if an electric current had passed through me. The familiar feeling had me stunned. My heart beat erratically as my head whipped around, searching the staircase, glancing at the various closed office doors. The feeling frightened me and made me excited at the exact same time. I would know that feeling anywhere… for the rest of my life. It meant he was close.

I felt myself move towards the large windows along the walls of the small hallway. Reaching the closed window, I allowed myself to glance around the field just below me. And then I saw him.

His bronze hair was glowing like dark fire in the bit of sunlight that peaked through the clouds. He was on the football field with a dozen other guys, but they didn't hold my attention in the least. My eyes lingered only on him.

I felt the pain in my heart being ripped open as I watched him run back and forth between orange cones. And then suddenly, his head snapped up, his eyes looking right at me. He could feel me too.

I flinched, but held his gaze, unable to look away. The longing I felt was immense and it hurt… so badly. My eyes flickered over his beautiful features, and I felt my eyes swell with tears. I blinked rapidly, trying to suppress them.

I watched his eyebrows pull together as he squinted up at me, seeing me through the window.

And then I heard Rosalie call out a goodbye to her coach as she stepped out into the hall.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself before I finally tore my eyes away from him.

"Hey," Rose said as she approached me. "What are you doing?"

"Just… thinking," I answered before I turned towards the stairs.

Rosalie followed me silently out towards the parking lot. I didn't look back, too afraid that I might burst into tears. I didn't want that. Not in front of Rosalie.

"So… guess what?" she said as we climbed into her Honda.

"What?" I asked, unenthusiastically.

Rosalie popped open the compartment on her dashboard and nestled between some papers and the car's instruction manual was a bag of weed.

I glanced up at her in surprise.

"Seriously?" I said.

"Yes, seriously," she urged. "Lets get fucked up. We deserve it."

I laughed humorlessly at her.

"Where?"

"I don't know," Rose shrugged. "First Beach?"

I tried to suppress my eye roll. Did she honestly think I wouldn't mind going there?

"Maybe we should go somewhere else," I murmured.

I watched Rosalie's eyes flicker over my face.

"You can't just avoid places because of him," she said. "No matter where you go, you're going to be reminded."

I turned away from her to peer out of the window. At least she avoided saying his name, out of respect for me.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," she continued. "And I'm not trying to. I just want you to realize that he lives here and he's going to be around and you are going to have to live with that."

"You think I don't realize that, Rosalie?" I snapped. "I am putting up with it. I put up with it every damn day."

"Then put up with it today," she snapped back.

I glanced back at her, my eyes flickering to the small smile on her lips.

Her expression was encouraging. It made me feel better, stronger. Slowly, in her own way, she was helping me through this… even if I didn't want her help.

I turned to peer out of the window again just as Rosalie started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. And just as we turned the corner, my eyes caught sight of a head of bronze hair before we disappeared down the street.

"We should do something crazy this summer," Rosalie mused as she passed the thick blunt back to me.

I took a long pull and held the smoke in my lungs before releasing it into the brisk, beach air.

"Like what?" I asked around a couple of small coughs.

"I don't know," Rose answered honestly.

I laughed at her, the sound coming out like a strangled wheeze. I hadn't laughed in quite a while.

We were laying on our backs, side by side, our hair fanned out like a set of gold and brown halos on a small pink blanket. The sky was cloudy as usual, but there was a bit of sun that would continue to peek through every little while. The air was chilly, especially for July, but I welcomed the cool breeze that feathered against my cheeks.

"Maybe we should…" I thought as I passed Rosalie the blunt. "Go cliff diving."

Rosalie and I glanced at each other before we both burst out into a fit of loud laughter. The idea of either of us jumping into cold water was comical, let alone from over a hundred feet high. It was an insane thought.

"Let me just… grab my…. bathing suit!" Rosalie choked out between her fit of giggles.

I laughed along with her, my stomach aching as I tried to choke out the air from my lungs.

"Oh, man…" we sighed in unison.

After we finished the blunt, we spent the next couple of hours talking about the summer and what we wanted to do. At one point, we got all serious when Rosalie brought Jasper up and how they were actually starting to get along again. When I asked her why it took so long, she told me it was because Jasper is very stubborn and doesn't like taking responsibility for his actions.

The subject was pretty sensitive, even for me now that _he_ was out of my life, so we let the subject drop fairly quickly.

It wasn't until the sun started to go down when Rosalie suddenly got a text.

"Who is it?" I asked, watching her squint into her phone with one eye open.

"Tyler," Rose said. "Some guys from La Push are having a bonfire.

I sat up and glanced around, just as Rosalie did. And sure enough, we could see a cloud of smoke and the glow of a bonfire less than a mile away.

"Should we go?" she asked.

I hesitated. I knew that he would probably be there.

"Well," I murmured. "I can't avoid him forever."

My eyes flickered to Rosalie. I searched her blue-green eyes, watching the dilemma float around behind her gaze.

"We don't have to go, Bella," she said. "Its alright if you're not ready."

"I don't think I'll ever be ready, Rose," I responded honestly. "I don't think I'll ever be ok."

I watched her face fall.

She was being so good to me, lately. I didn't know how she did it. Being friends with me and being friends with him was sure to be a struggle. I understood that, which is why I never pushed her… or asked anything of her. I didn't ask for her comfort or her help. She was just there. And it wasn't because she felt obligated. It was because she actually cared about me.

Rosalie was the best mixture between being a very loving and caring person, as well as a very stern and very honest individual. She was the best of both. The perfect company, the perfect friend, the perfect person to have your back. She didn't chose sides, nor did she neglect to voice her opinions, which is why she struggles to keep steady friendships. She constantly spoke her mind and wasn't always sympathetic when she disagreed with you about something. And to me, that was perfect. She was like my mother, in a teenage form. I respected Rosalie in a way that I didn't respect many others.

"Let's go," I said, getting up from the blanket. "I'm still really high, so maybe I wont even give a shit about who's there."

Rosalie let out a small laugh.

We contemplated on whether we should just walk over there, but then decided against it when we realized how lazy our muscles were. Walking back to the car, as high as we were, was difficult enough.

"Do you think you'll be able to drive there?" I asked honestly, though I couldn't keep the soft snicker out of my voice.

"Fuck you," Rosalie laughed. "I can drive those twenty feet."

"Seriously, Rose," I said a little more sternly. "Can you drive? I don't want you to crash your new… or… new to you, car."

"I'm fine," she answered, rolling her eyes at me.

We climbed into the Honda and a few minutes later, we were climbing back out.

As we made our way, arm in arm, towards the bonfire, I tried my best not to glance around at the many faces crowding the fire pit. I didn't want to see if he was there and I didn't want to interact with him if he was.

As we approached the group, I noticed they were playing some 60's classic rock, which I thought was interesting for a bon fire. But then I realized that my friends weren't the ones throwing the party. It was the Quileute clan.

"Hey!" Rosalie called out as someone approached us.

I looked up to see it was Sam Ulley.

"Hey, Rose," he greeted, kissing her softly on the cheek. "Bella."

I smiled up at him and took his outstretched hand.

"How are you ladies doing this evening?" he asked.

Rosalie said she was great, while I nodded and then Sam offered us some drinks from a nearby tub filled with ice and beer. We thanked him and made our way over to the drinks. I chose some imported beer.

I took my first drink and let my gaze drift over the small party. There weren't that many people, but enough to make me a little uncomfortable. And there were only a handful of faces I recognized. Mike, Jessica, Eric, Angela, Jasper and Alice. And… Jacob Black.

He met my gaze just as I met his. He was sitting beside a few guys, with the same tan skin and dark, long straight hair.

"Bella!" he greeted, waving me over.

I smiled, but didn't approach him. I didn't really feel like engaging in conversation.

Jacob seemed to misread my signals because he rose to his feet and ran quickly over to me.

I sighed, looking away from him.

"Bella, what's up?"

I let Jacob hug me, but kept my beer in my hand, and Rosalie's arm firmly in mine.

"Hey, Jacob," I greeted. "Rose, this is Jacob Black. He's Charlie's friend's son."

I watched Rose give Jacob a small nod, her arm still wound tightly in mine.

"So what have you been up to?" he asked.

Over the next few minutes, I did my best to keep up with his conversation. I answered his questions and 'hmm'd and 'aww'd at the right times, but I was soon feeling very annoyed and eager to get away from him.

But a few minutes later, Mike and Jessica approached us, which I was immediately grateful for.

"Hey, who's your friend?" Mike asked, turning to Jacob.

"Jacob, this is Mike," I said. "Mike, Jacob."

I watched them shake hands and then turned to give Jessica a small hug.

The five of us stood in a loose circle, talking about nonsense. I let my mind drift temporarily, not really interested in what the topic was. I glanced around the group a few times, noticing all of the couples and feeling sad and suddenly very lonely. My high was starting to diminish, but my buzz was gradually increasing. I didn't care though. I just wanted to go home. I didn't feel like socializing or even trying to have fun. It was hard to even keep up a conversation now. Maybe my lack of sleep was starting to take its toll. Either way, I was so completely over the night.

I was daydreaming about my playlists on iTunes at home, when Rosalie's arm suddenly tightened in mine. It wasn't necessarily an obvious clenching of her muscles, but it was enough to catch my attention. I glanced up at her and then followed her gaze. That's when I saw him approaching, flanked between Tyler and Emmett.

I felt a hard pull in my chest from the sight of him. Black leather jacket, dark jeans, beanie and converse, his usual weekend attire.

The sight of him hurt more now than it did earlier that day when I saw him out on the field. My eyes flickered over him quickly before finally landing on his face. Seeing him like this was almost too much. Too painful. The longing I felt in my stupid heart was released ten fold, crushing me, almost causing me to double over in pain.

"God," I whispered softly to myself as I dropped my gaze.

I felt Rosalie shift, turning me away from them so that my back was displayed instead of my face. She didn't want me to look. She knew how hard it was for me.

"What's up with you?" Mike suddenly said.

I glanced up to see Mike scrutinizing my face, just as Rosalie released a soft groan. I watched Mike's eyes flicker behind me.

"Oh," he murmured in understanding. "Who cares, Bella," he said. "We're here to have fun."

I watched Mike release Jessica's hand before he stepped back a few feet, just as a song began playing loud on the speakers. And then he started dancing, very goofy, flinging his legs back and his arms forward, doing a weird version of the 'running man.'

"What are you doing?" I asked. I felt a small smile pull at the corner of my lips.

"Having fun!" he laughed. "Now listen baby," he sang with Jimi Hendrix. "You don't care for me and I don't care about that… you gotta new fool, ha! I like it like that…"

Rosalie pulled her arm from mine and turned to dance beside Mike.

"I have only one burnin' desire!" she sang. "Let me stand next to your _fire_…!"

"Let me stand next to your fire!" Rose and Mike sang in unison as they danced recklessly around me in circles. "Let me stand next to your fire!"

I felt tears fill my eyes as I watched them trying so hard to make me laugh. But it worked. I choked out a soft chuckle as I glanced around, watching them move and shrug their shoulders against mine, urging me to keep smiling and laughing with them.

I let them pull on my hands and swing me around and I did what I could to enjoy their persistence. But it didn't last very long. I heard their feet approach before Emmett and Tyler greeted us.

My eyes flashed up instantly to Tyler before flickering to… him.

His face was calm and relaxed, though his eyes were wide, ineffectively hiding his discomfort. He held my gaze for a moment and I watched as his eyes flickered over me. I instantly felt embarrassed and royally pissed off at myself for neglecting to wear makeup today.

I dropped my gaze. This was going to be a long ass night.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Oop… a bit of a cliffy. But don't worry, because I will be updating tomorrow and Monday as well. :D**

**Oh! And some of you have your PM settings disabled. I can't respond to your reviews if they are disabled. Just sayin.**

**The song that Rose and Mike are dancing to at First Beach is called **_**Fire**_** by Jimi Hendrix. ;) DUH! Its one of my favorites. Lol (I am probably the lamest 24 year old ever.) And there is one mentioned previously called _Wild Night_ by Van Morrison. Another favorite. lol**

**You know the rules, leave me some REVIEWS! :D**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	25. Chapter 25: My Wonderwall

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 25: My Wonderwall**

"Daaamn," I heard Tyler roar with laughter. "Nice moves, Mike."

I felt Mike pull roughly onto my hand, swinging me away from _him_, and into his grasp.

I let Mike continue to dance around me and pull my stiff body around for a little while longer, making me stumble over my own feet, and over his while I tried to ignore the conversations taking place around me.

"How's the party?" Emmett asked, taking Rosalie's beer.

"Lame," Jacob responded, which caused many to chuckle softly.

I tried my best to keep my eyes on Mike as he danced around me, but it was very difficult… and I wasn't even laughing anymore. He seemed to notice because he slowly moved closer to me, peering into my face.

"You ok?" he asked softly.

I nodded, forcing a smile, before I turned away from him to make my way over to the full tub of beer.

My mind was in a fog and my legs could barely move. I wanted to leave and get the fuck out of La Push. But I was stuck… especially because I didn't want to ask Rose to drive while she was still high.

I grabbed another beer and struggled with the cap when Sam Ulley approached me.

"I got it," he said, taking the beer from me.

"Thanks," I murmured dryly as I turned to peer at my group of friends.

Rosalie caught me watching. Looking a little startled, she made her way towards me.

I sighed. I didn't want to make her feel like she had to babysit me.

"How's your night so far?" Sam asked.

I turned to glance back at him. His expression was pitiful. Instantly, I knew he had already heard about what happened between… us.

"Great," I said with a condescending smile. "Thanks for the beer."

I turned to meet an anxious looking Rosalie.

"We can go," she said. "Its fine, I understand."

"You're high," I murmured. "And drunk. Lets chill out for a bit. It's cool."

"But… but what about…" she stammered.

"Rose, I'm not a baby," I groaned. "I can take care of myself. Stop treating me like I'm a child."

"I'm sorry," Rosalie frowned. "I'm just… nervous. That's all."

"I know. Lets go say 'hi' to Emmett," I offered. "I know you want to talk to him."

Rosalie hesitated for a moment before she turned to follow me back towards our friends. Emmett and Tyler were talking about football practice. From what I heard, they had already had tryouts and were now preparing for the beginning of the season. I tried not to listen too carefully; it was things like this that reminded me of him. Things like this that reminded me of what we once had.

I tried my best not to look at him, but it was incredibly difficult. I caught myself many times, unintentionally noticing the way he ran his hand through his hair or took a drag from his cigarette. I wanted to hear him speak, but he was quiet the entire time. He was standing silently beside Tyler and Emmett as they talked about football with Jacob and one of his friends. Apparently Jacob had just joined the football team at La Push High School.

My eyes flickered back to _him_ and I noticed he stood many feet away from Mike. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was jealous because Mike had been dancing with me.

_Stupid_, I thought. _Don't even kid yourself. You'll just make things worse._

A few minutes later, more kids from Forks High showed up. I saw Tanya, Lauren, Kate and a few other girls I still barely knew, as well as Riley, Austin, Royce and Kirk. I watched them all approach us. I didn't miss the way Riley smirked at me, probably pleased with the current status of my relationship.

I instantly wanted to slap him. Hard.

"Lets dance," Jessica said to me as some contemporary rock song came on.

I shook my head at her, trying my best not to look as annoyed as I felt.

"Come on!" Jessica squealed drunkenly, gripping my hands.

"Jess," I said. "I really don't like to dance. I'm sorry."

"That's not true," she laughed. "You used to dance with Edward."

I felt my diaphragm constrict as I absorbed his name flowing carelessly past her lips.

"Stop," I snapped harshly at her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to dance with you."

I pulled my hands out of her grasp and tried to ignore the many eyes on me.

_Jesus Christ,_ I thought angrily. _I need to get the fuck out of here._

"I'll go dance with you," Tanya said.

I glanced up at her, meeting her gaze. She gave me a small smile before she turned to follow Jessica towards the group of dancing teenagers near the fire pit.

I frowned. It was only then that I realized that everyone probably knew what was going on. Everyone knew that he broke up with me… and they were all what? Pitying me?

"Rose," I murmured as I turned towards Rosalie.

She was already facing me, obviously fully aware of the scrutiny that was going on.

"What the _fuck_?" I whispered harshly.

"I know," she murmured. "I don't know what the fuck is going on."

"I do," I said. "Everyone fucking knows. Everyone here is feeling sorry for me."

"Screw them," she hissed. "They just want something to gossip about."

I watched Rosalie's eyes flicker around.

I followed her gaze. The only people who _weren't_ looking at me were Mike, Jasper, Austin and… _him_. Everyone else was scrutinizing me.

"I should have worn some makeup," I muttered, mostly to myself.

"What?" Rosalie snapped. "You look fine! Stop that!"

Her words were harsh, but thankfully very quiet.

"Hey, Bella," someone said.

I glanced up to see a very smug looking Riley.

I rolled my eyes in response.

"How have you been?" he continued. "You look good."

"Thanks," I said hotly. I didn't want to deal with his crap.

"So what have you been up to? Any good plans for the summer?"

"Some," I responded.

"Anything interesting?"

I shrugged.

"Am I bugging you?" he asked with a laugh as he glanced between Rosalie and I.

I met his gaze and shrugged again in response.

"You're being pretty feisty today," Riley murmured as he leaned in close to me. "That's a side of you I haven't seen before. It's _very_ sexy."

"Back off," I murmured. I was ten seconds away from spitting in his face.

"You wanna go dance… you know, since your _single_ now?" Riley continued.

I felt his large hand brush against my arm.

"Leave her alone."

I jumped in surprise from the sound of his voice. It was the first time I'd heard him speak in over a month. And it was beautiful, like velvet, though it was laced with anger and menace. I had forgotten how wonderful the sound was. The way it made me… _feel_.

I glanced over at him, standing beside Tyler and Emmett. His chin was up in defiance as he stared Riley down, his eyes blazing with hatred.

I watched the cigarette slip from his fingers, falling forgotten into the sand.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Riley barked back.

The anger in Riley's voice was nothing compared to… Edward's.

"You're not on the team anymore, _Biers_," Edward snarled. "I have no problem fucking you up."

"She's not your girl anymore, _Cullen_," Riley snarled back. "So mind your own fucking business."

"Fuck you, asshole," Mike suddenly stepped in. "Bella's our friend, whether or not she's anyone's girlfriend."

"Stay out of it, Mike!" Riley yelled back. "You're always sticking your nose up everyone's ass!"

"Man, I should've fucked you up when I had the chance!" Edward suddenly yelled as he hurtled himself at Riley.

"Edward!" Rose screamed as she yanked me out of the way.

I was frozen to the spot, staring with wide eyes as Edward's shoulder collided with Riley's gut, tackling him to the ground. And then I watched as Edward swung his arm out fast before he slammed his fist down, his knuckles connecting with Riley's jaw.

"What the hell is going on?" Rose yelled to Emmett.

I watched Emmett move forward seemingly to grab his brother, but I was instantly surprised when Emmett instead moved to tackle an approaching Kirk.

I shrieked in surprise as a scuffle broke out. I could hear the loud groans and heavy pounding of fists against body parts as the Cullen brothers took on Riley and Kirk. My eyes stayed glued on Edward's back as his fist connected repeatedly with Riley's face.

"Do something!" I heard Rosalie yell to our friends who stood with wide eyes watching the boys beat each other up.

I watched as Tyler shook his head, as if he was waking up from a daydream, before he turned to run towards Edward, trying to pull him up. Tyler's reaction seemed to have triggered one from everyone else, because before I knew it all of our friends, including the locals from La Push, were charging into the mix trying to separate the four boys.

I watched with tears in my eyes as Tyler, Sam, Jacob and Austin finally pulled Edward and Riley away from each other.

Edward was raging, cursing and spitting blood as he shouted repeatedly at Riley calling him an 'asshole' and a 'piece of shit.' It took Mike, Jasper, Eric, Royce and a few others to separate Emmett and Kirk.

I felt my body tremble as I watch the blood seep from a cut on Edward's eyebrow and a bruise swell on his left cheekbone. And then I scream again when Riley got loose from Austin's hold and charged towards Edward, plummeting him into the sand.

The groan that Edward released from the impact was like a knife through my heart and I move forward, wanting to help.

"Stop," someone cried. It was a girl and she was pulling me into her arms, away from Riley and Edward.

I watched in shock as the fight continued, blood now staining the scene. Riley was furious, but slowly losing momentum as Edward pounded his fist into Riley's gut.

"Stop, goddamit!" I heard Tyler yell as he grabbed a struggling Riley and flung him away onto the sand.

I gasped and stepped back a few paces when the sand flew up and hit me in the face.

I watched as Tyler pinned Riley down, keeping him there, while Sam, Jacob and Austin pulled Edward to his feet and struggled to keep him under control.

"Fuck you, Cullen!" I heard Riley yell from the ground. "You are such a fucking back-stabber. First you fight with Jasper and now me? Fuck you, man!"

"Shut up, dickhead!" I heard Mike yell. "You're the only asshole around here!"

"If you hadn't gotten involved, this shit wouldn't have happened," Austin intervened, his attention directed at Riley.

"Man, fuck all of you guys! If it wasn't for that bitch right there," Riley pointed a bloody finger at Edward, "I would still be on the team!"

My eyes flickered to Edward in shock.

"Hey!" Edward said with a sly grin. "I'm not the _bitch_ laying on the grown right now. And if you don't keep your fucking mouth shut, I'll break your fucking jaw and make sure you _never_ open your mouth again!"

I stared at Edward, still in shock as I watched wave after wave of anger roll off of him. His eyes were smoldering and his nostrils were flared as he stared darkly down at Riley. And then his eyes flickered to me.

Edward saw me standing there with my mouth open and tears in my eyes. His eyes took in my expression, scrutinizing my face for a long moment. And then he turned and pushed his way out of Sam's grasp before trudging through the sand towards the parking lot.

"Someone needs to go after him," I heard myself croak as I watched Edward's back slowly retreat into the darkness.

"I'm going," I heard Jasper say.

I looked up in surprise and almost called out for Jasper to stop… but I didn't. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew that Jasper should be the one to go. This was his chance. This was a moment for them to fix their relationship.

I felt tears leak from my eyes as I watched Jasper go after him… filling the void that I had left behind. I wanted to be the one to follow him. I wanted to be the one to comfort him… but Edward didn't want me anymore. I had to remind myself. He didn't want me to be the one to comfort him. He didn't want me to be the one to listen to his thoughts, to hear him vent. He wouldn't want to vent to _me_… he never did.

I watched as Kirk and Riley moved closer towards the bonfire, followed closely by Jacob, Austin, Royce, Eric and some of the locals so that they could cool down.

"Are you ok?" a small voice asked me.

I turned around to see a tanned girl with short black hair standing behind me. She was the one who grabbed me and pulled me out of the way.

My eyes flickered over her thin dark eyebrows and black eyes.

"Yeah," I murmured. "I'm alright."

The girl reached up and brushed a tear from my face before she slowly released me.

"I'm Leah," he said softly. "Leah Clearwater. I'm Sam's girlfriend."

_Harry's daughter,_ I thought.

"Bella Swan," I murmured back to her.

She gave me a soft smile before she turned to Sam to ask him what had happened. I heard Tyler and Sam explain to her that there had been a fight recently between Edward and Riley, a fight that caused Riley to get cut from the football team. It seemed that Sam believed that the fight was strictly based on football and I didn't hear Tyler correct him at all. Tyler didn't tell them that fight had originated the day Jasper accidently hit me with the bat. He didn't tell them that I was the reason for all of this.

I sighed and turned towards Rosalie who was now gossiping and yelling with Mike and Emmett and a couple of girls.

"What the hell happened at practice?" I heard Rosalie ask Emmett. "You told me you guys were doing great."

"Yeah, that was until Riley brought up Bella," Emmett murmured. "He was being an asshole and Edward got mad. Coach Clapp ended up kicking Riley's ass off the team for instigating the fight."

"What did he say about Bella?" Rose asked.

"Not much," Mike shrugged. "Apparently, Riley was the reason why Jasper confronted Edward at Jessica's party last month and again, he made fun of Edward for turning his back on his friends. He kept riling him up and even threw Bella in his face, saying that he couldn't even hold on to a girl. He was blabbering about how she's fair game now."

I rolled my eyes at the conversation as I made my way over to them. It was stupid for Edward to get mad about something like that. He didn't want me anymore.

But…

I frowned, stopping suddenly in my tracks.

He did defend me when Riley was obviously bothering me. Was it because he felt guilty? Obligated? Was he actually really upset?

My eyes flickered back to the darkness of the parking lot. I felt the sudden urge to approach him. To speak to him.

"Rose," I called, my eyes still on the parking lot.

"Yeah?" I heard her approach me.

"I, uh… I left my phone in your car," I said, glancing back at her.

Rosalie searched my gaze for a moment.

"Ok," she shrugged and then we walked side by side towards the parking lot.

Immediately, my eyes were scanning everything in sight. And then I saw them. Edward and Jasper were leaning side by side against the hood of Edward's Volvo. Only, Edward was crouched slightly, his hands resting on his knees. He looked frustrated, and maybe a little tired. They were speaking quietly, their voices carrying as only a low rubble through the parking lot.

I glanced over at Rosalie and saw that she was watching them too, curiosity evident all over her face.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Rose muttered quietly to me.

I wanted to go talk to them too, but at the same time, I wanted to protect myself.

"Lets go find out," Rosalie urged, turning her attention back to me.

"Um…" I felt myself begin to panic.

"You don't have to say anything," Rose whispered. "Just stand there beside me. If they look upset that we're there then we can just turn and walk away. I promise."

I stared at Jasper and Edward's silhouettes and then nodded in agreement.

Rose slid her hand into mine and led me towards them.

"Hey," she said softly as we approached the muttering boys.

Immediately their head's snapped up. My eyes were only on Edward's, where I saw surprise and anger flash across his face.

I hesitated a few feet away from him.

_Bolt! Bolt!_ I wanted to yell to Rosalie.

"You guys alright?" Rose asked. She didn't even notice my nervousness. She was busy scrutinizing her brother and her best friend.

"Yeah," Edward murmured. His voice was smooth as silk and I felt my heart flutter from the sound. "Riley is a dick. I'm sorry if I scared you."

Edward eyes flickered to mine. His gaze was intense. It confused me.

I frowned at him and dropped my eyes to my shoes, kicking some of the sand off of my shoelaces.

"What was all that about anyway?" Rose prodded.

My eyes flickered back to Edward's.

"Complications," he responded.

His eyes were still on me; his gaze unrelenting as it bore deep into my soul. I felt heat burn in my cheeks as I gazed back at him, and I mentally scolded myself for allowing him to make my mind and body react in such a way. He shouldn't make me feel so fucking excited just because he was looking at me. It wasn't fair.

"Well," Rose continued. "You two seem to be doing well. That's good."

I watched Edward and Jasper glance at each other. Jasper's expression looked a little smug, while Edward remained expressionless behind his unemotional mask.

"Do you wanna go back to the party?" Jasper asked Edward.

Edward's eyes flickered to me and then to the ground.

"Yeah," he said. "Lets go."

I felt Rosalie's hand tighten in mine. I glanced up at her and saw her wink at me. I didn't understand what that meant, but I didn't care to find out either. Edward stepped forward, away from his car, closing the distance between us, making my heart go haywire in my chest from his suddenly proximity. I felt my body tremble, my fingertips burning with the need to reach out and just touch him.

I took a step back and released a small, shaky breath.

Back at the fire pit, I noticed that Riley and Kirk, along with Austin and Royce, were gone now. I assumed it was because of the fight.

Emmett, Mike and Tyler were all sitting in a circle, along with Jacob, Sam and their friends. And the closer we got, I soon realized they were all passing around a very large, antique looking pipe. It instantly reminded me of Gandalf's pipe in the _Lord of the Rings_ movies.

I chuckled softly at my nerdy self.

"Hey," Jacob said, smiling up at Edward. "Wanna hit?"

I heard Edward laugh; the sound was like the base of a bell. I watched him take a seat, squeezing himself between Jacob and Tyler. My eyes drifted over Edward's face. The small cut on his brow wasn't bleeding anymore, but the swell on his left cheek was definitely darkening in color. He seemed fine, however.

Rosalie pulled me into the circle, sitting herself beside Emmett, while I squeezed in between her and a boy I didn't know.

"I'm Embry," the boy said as I took my seat.

"Bella," I murmured, taking his large hand as he offered me a handshake.

"That's Quil, and Paul," Embry said, pointing out a couple of other boys.

I offered them a small wave, which they returned.

I noticed that Jasper didn't sit with us. His eyes lingered on Edward for a moment, a small frown on his face, before he turned back towards Alice who stood with the other girls, and Eric.

_Well_, I thought. _Relationships don't happen over night._

At this thought, my eyes flickered to Edward who was sitting right across from me.

His eyes were on me again as he took a long pull from the pipe. The sight of him watching me that way reminded me of when we used to catch ourselves looking at each other all those months ago in Alice's bedroom and in Tyler's garage.

The memories made my heart ache, and yet… I couldn't look away. His gaze made me feel something, it always did. I loved the way he looked at me, as if he knew me, understood me. But now, his gaze hurt me. Maybe it was the realization that his gaze didn't mean anything. He didn't want me, he didn't… love me.

I flinched at the thought and dropped my gaze, just as my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Shit," I hissed, pulling my phone out.

"I thought you…" Rose said, glancing between my phone and me.

I watched the realization cover her face. She realized I hadn't actually left my phone in her car.

"Oh…" she said.

I grimaced at her before I glanced down at my phone.

"It's Charlie," I told her. "Hello?"

"_Hey kid,"_ Charlie answered. His voice was a little unsteady, like he was nervous.

"Hey dad," I responded. "You alright?"

"_I'm fine,"_ he said. _"I was just… checking in. Seeing if you were alright."_

"I'm fine."

Maybe I hadn't been as convincing in front of Charlie as I thought I had. He sounded worried and hesitant. As if he was afraid I might lash out or start crying or something.

"I'm actually with Rose. There's a bonfire here at First Beach," I told him.

"_Oh!"_ He sounded much more happy now. _"Well, good. What time are you comin' home kiddo?"_

"Not sure yet, Rose drove me."

"_Alright, well, call if you need anything. Be safe, Bella."_

"I will," I murmured. "Bye."

I hung up just as Embry was passing the pipe to me. I took a long hit, suddenly eager to be high and numb. The weed was strong and tasted a little different. It felt smooth going in and even felt smooth coming out. I only coughed a little as I released a thick cloud of smoke into the air.

"Nice," I said to Embry.

He laughed and started telling me about the weed. How they grow it here on the reservation or something. I wasn't paying that much attention because my mind was already starting to cloud over. I welcomed the lazy haze happily.

I must have been really stoned because I felt myself rock from side to side as some rock song started playing. My eyes roamed over the many faces in our circle. Everyone looked pretty high and happy. Except for Edward.

Edward was holding an iPod, which I only just noticed was connected to an amp. He was scrolling through, looking for something to play.

And then he chose one. I felt my lips pull into a small, sad smile.

"Runaround Sue," I murmured to myself.

"Huh?" Embry asked, just as Edward's eyes met mine.

"The song," I responded. "Its called Runaround Sue… by Dion and the Belmonts."

I closed my eyes and listened, absorbing Dion's sad voice.

I heard many loud and happy cheers as the song started playing. I never really understood why so many people laughed and danced when this song came on. It actually made me very sad. It was about love. It was about a guy who fell in love with a girl who didn't want him back. It was about heartbreak. His friends warned him about her promiscuous ways, but he ignored them because he… loved her.

Maybe people didn't really listen to the lyrics.

"I should have known it from the very start," I sang softly to myself. "This girl will leave me with a broken heart. Now listen people what I'm tellin' you… a-keep away from a Runaround Sue."

I opened my eyes and found Edward's gaze as I finished the last of the first verse.

His eyes were sad as he watched me, but his lips moved quick as he picked up the second verse right after me.

"I miss her lips and the smile on her face, the touch of her hair and this girl's warm embrace," he sang softly. "So if you don't wanna cry like I do… a-keep away from a Runaround Sue…"

I felt my heart tighten painfully from his words and the look on his face. His gaze was steady. Was he telling me the truth? Was he using this song to… speak to me? I thought he had done so when he sang Nina's song in my ear… but then he broke up with me.

"Here's the moral of the story from the guy who knows," Edward continued softly. "I fell in love and my love still grows. Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say… keep away from a Runaround Sue…"

Edward's green gaze was hypnotizing as his eyes flickered over my face, gauging my reaction. I could feel my face fall, breaking along with my heart. It was too much for me and I knew he could tell. The small smile he was wearing moments ago shattered into a frown as he watched me try unsuccessfully to hold myself together.

_Fucking marijuana was supposed to numb your senses!_ I thought. _Why me?_

As soon as the first tears dripped from my eyes I got up and practically ran towards the water. I needed to breathe; I needed to get away from him.

"Bella," I heard him say as I turned away from the circle.

His voice was sad, but beautiful like it always was. Arousing more bittersweet memories.

I clasped my hand over my mouth, trying desperately to hold back my sob. I couldn't do this here.

I made it a few paces into the sand and already the brisk ocean air made me feel better. I let out a choked sob as I continued to trudge through the sand.

_Why is he doing this to me?_ I thought.

More tears leaked from my eyes, making me cringe and clamp my eyes tightly shut.

"You're stronger than this," I sobbed quietly to myself. "You can handle this. Suck it up!"

I took a few deep breaths to steady myself before I opened my eyes. I could see the moon, kind of, just beyond the clouds. It was snowy white and lit up the choppy ocean water every time it peaked through. The waves crashing along the sand was kind of loud, but still very comforting. The sound helped block out most of my thoughts and I felt my heart steadily relax.

It wasn't until a minute later that I heard soft footsteps approach.

I didn't turn to see who it was, because I knew it wasn't him. I would have sensed it.

"Bella?" It was Rosalie.

"Hey," I said, still gazing up at the moon.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"Do you wanna go?" she asked.

I turned to glance at her now. Her eyes looked clear.

"Did you smoke?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I didn't want to risk it… you know… in case we wanted to go."

I nodded.

"Are you ready?" she asked again.

"Yeah," I said.

We walked back to our group of friends. I was hesitant about seeing him again. But when we got there, I noticed that he had gone… and so did Emmett. The Arctic Monkey's were playing now. And I was grateful for that.

Rosalie and I called out quick goodbyes to everyone before we slowly made our way back to her car. She asked me if I wanted to talk about it, about what had happened before I ran off. Apparently she didn't understand why I got upset, no one did.

I couldn't help but be happy about that. Music was something that only he and I shared. They wouldn't understand what that song meant to me, especially when he sang it. And also, Edward never really sang in front of other people. He had told me once that he didn't really like to play or sing in front of over people… only me because he… liked me.

"Fuck," I whispered softly to myself.

I really needed to stop this. I needed to stop thinking about what once was. It was only going to hurt me more.

During the drive home, Rose asked if I wanted to hang out tomorrow too. I didn't really want to because the idea of sulking in bed sounded like a much better plan, but she convinced me, telling me she still had more weed and maybe we could hang out at her place since her parents would be gone for the day. I agreed and then gave her a goodbye hug before left her car.

Charlie was still awake, but I avoided him.

I told him I was tired, and made my way quickly over to the staircase. He tried to stop me, asking if I was hungry. I said I wasn't and then ran quickly to my room. I immediately went to my CD collection and put on a Kanye West album my mom had bought me in Arizona. I hated Kanye, but I knew his music would distract me from _him_.

I was desperate for a distraction. Desperate from some peace.

I pulled off my jacket and jeans and climbed into bed. I listened to the album all the way through, not really hearing anything and before I knew it, I was laying in complete silence. I was tired, but I didn't feel sleepy.

I sighed, glancing at the clock. It was 1:20 in the morning.

_Maybe I should just cry myself to sleep,_ I thought.

But no, I didn't want to do that. I had a hard enough day today to last at least a week. I got up and pulled on a pair of tights before I went downstairs to get something to eat. After opening the fridge and cabinets a few times, I settled on a glass of milk and a Poptart before I went back upstairs.

I opened my laptop and hit play. Oasis was on my playlist full of songs that reminded me of him. I decided that if I was going to be up all night tonight, it wouldn't hurt to spend a few hours wallowing in self pity.

I climbed into bed with my milk and Poptart as I sang along to _Wonderwall_.

"Because maybe…." I sang softly to myself. "You're gonna be the one that saves me… And after all… you're my wonderwall…"

I felt a tear slip from my eye as I continued to sing the song. I've always believed that the term 'wonderwall' described a person you constantly found yourself thinking about. Someone you are in love with, someone you are infatuated with.

I knew I was crossing the line between total euphoria and agony when I fell in love with Edward. The love I felt for him was pure euphoria… yet the pain I feel now when I think of him is utter agony.

Edward was my 'wonderwall.'

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Tomorrow will be the last chapter for the week.**

**Do me a favor and look up the songs mentioned on Youtube or something. They're sooo good. :D**

**Songs mentioned are: **_**Runaround Sue**_** by Dion & The Belmonts and **_**Wonderwall**_** by Oasis.**

**And don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	26. Chapter 26: Edward's Repentance

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Edward's Repentance**

I woke up the next day at around noon, feeling surprisingly well rested. Maybe it was because I ended up scarfing down an entire box of poptarts last night. I couldn't help it; one pack just wasn't enough.

I got up and showered before dressing in a plain white V-neck and jeans. I made sure to do my hair and makeup today, just in case if anyone… _unexpected_ happened to cross my path.

My eyes looked like shit. They were red and swollen. I didn't really remember crying, but lately it happened during my sleep, when I did sleep. At least I didn't have any nightmares last night.

At around 12, Rosalie called me. I told her I'd drive myself today, since we weren't going anywhere far. And by 12:20 I was parking in front of her house.

No one was home. Like Charlie, all of our parents were at work, and even Jasper had gotten a job nearby at Newton's Sporting Goods. I climbed out of my truck, zipped up my hoodie, and walked over to Rosalie's front door. I knocked softly before I let myself in.

"In here!" Rose called from the kitchen.

I had only been to her house once, and that was the night of his party.

Walking into the kitchen, I caught Rosalie in the middle of making instant mac n' cheese.

"Hungry?" I asked with a chuckle.

She turned, giving me a wide smile. Her eyes were pink.

"You started without me?" I asked, exasperated.

"I couldn't help it!" she exclaimed sheepishly. "It was just sitting there looking all… yummy and shit. I woke up early and was alone all day. Sue me."

I laughed at that before asking her where the blunt was. She told me she used Jasper's pipe and then said it was upstairs in her bedroom.

I took a seat at the small kitchen table, waiting for her to finish serving us some mac n' cheese before I followed her upstairs.

Immediately, I went straight to the pipe, filled it with greens and then took a hit. It was strong, but felt good as I blew it out of her bedroom window.

"Bella," Rosalie called softly.

I turned to face her.

"I want to talk to you about something… but… I'm hesitant because I don't want to step over a line. Like, I know we're friends and everything, but I don't know if you necessarily trust me because… well… because I'm friends with _him_ too."

I watched Rosalie scoop a hefty serving of mac n' cheese into her mouth.

"Speak," I responded. "I trust you."

"I saw Emmett last night, you know, after the bonfire," she began. "We talked a little about the fight and Riley and… Edward."

"Yeah?" I asked, taking a seat beside her and starting in on my food. "And what did Emmett say?"

"Emmett was acting really strange. I think he was trying to tell me something. Like, maybe he thinks Edward's upset about what happened between you guys."

I sighed, turning away from her. This wasn't the conversation I was expecting. I thought she wanted to talk about the brawl between the boys.

"I guess what I'm saying is—"

"Rose!" I snapped, cutting her off. "Please stop, I don't want to hear it. Not from you..."

"I know, I know," Rosalie said, her head bobbing up and down as she gave me a couple of quick nods. "I'm not trying to defend him. You know I'm not. And I'm not trying to speak for him either. I'm just saying… shit… I don't even know what I'm saying."

I sighed, placing my bowl down on her bedside table.

"Can we go for a walk or something?" I asked. "I need some air."

Rosalie placed her bowl down beside mine, swung her messenger bag over her shoulder and followed me down the stairs.

Outside, the sky was gloomy, but at least it wasn't raining. The wind was brisk, but wasn't very strong. Rosalie and I walked side-by-side, quietly peeking into her neighbor's houses or making small comments here and there about the weather, which was cold, or the moss, which was green.

"I want to take another hit," I murmured softly to her.

"We should have brought the pipe," Rose responded.

I reached my hands into my hoodie pocket and pulled out the pipe and small bag of weed.

"Bitch!" Rosalie hissed with a wide smile.

"Come on," I laughed as I darted into the trees.

We packed another bowl and then smoked it together, laughing at our stupidness while trying unsuccessfully to keep our voices down.

"My father is the chief of police," I scolded Rosalie in a gruff voice. "You're gonna get me into trouble."

"Oh, shush!" she snapped back.

Once we were thoroughly high, we stepped out of the trees and continued down the street. We walked for at least an hour, laughing our asses off at nothing in particular before we stopped in town to visit Jasper at Newton's Sporting Goods. He was a little pissed to see us, especially because we spent an entire five minutes cracking up and making a mess after trying on various fishing hats. Then we left and walked to the gas station to buy a couple of slushy's. I chose cherry and Rose chose blue raspberry. And then we picked out a handful of candy to take with us.

"Where should we go now?" I asked as I shoved a handful of M&M's into my mouth.

"I don't know," Rosalie murmured around her bite of taffy. "Wanna see if the boys are working out?"

Rosalie wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"Sure," I suggested.

"Really?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah. Last night was pretty fucking awkward, but I think I handled myself all right. And anyway, if I get uncomfortable, I can just walk home."

"True," Rosalie mused. "Lets go."

We set off down the street towards Forks High and arrived there within the next thirty minutes. Sure enough, the boys were all working out on the football field. I found Edward immediately, of course. His bronze hair stood out like a thorn in my side… or in my heart.

_Stop_, I scolded myself.

"Where's the coach?" I asked Rose as we crossed the grounds towards the bleachers.

"No idea," she said, looking around.

There were only a couple of TA's standing around wearing black and white referee shirts.

"Hey, ladies!" Tyler yelled from a few yards away.

Rose and I offered a couple of small waves in his direction.

All of the boys turned to look at us, and I blushed involuntarily. I felt almost vulnerable beneath their gazes, even though I was clean and warm, where as they were all sweating and doing various warm-up drills.

I raised my hood and tried to hide a bit.

"How's practice?" Rosalie called out, to no one in particular.

Mike, Austin and Tyler were closest to us and they turned to smile. I broke out into a fit of giggles, unable to control myself. I was sky high.

"They look pretty hot," Rosalie murmured to me. "Don't they?"

I chuckled again, my eyes flickering over the many sweaty boys. But if I was being honest with myself, none of them held my interest. My eyes only saw Edward.

He was scrutinizing me from across the field, one hand in his hair while his foot kicked restlessly against the loose grass. He was wearing a black long sleeve compression shirt under a blue mesh jersey with the number 20 on it, as well as some compression pants and jersey shorts. My eyes roamed over his wet hair, the sweat that gathered over his chest and back, down to his thick high socks and black and yellow Nike's.

"Edward looks nervous," Rosalie commented.

I glanced up at her, seeing her squint her eyes as she peered at Edward.

We spent the next hour watching them go over various pattern drills. There was a lot of running, a lot of footwork, and even some handwork for the quarterbacks. I watched the referee's blow whistles, timing the boys as they ran in perfectly synced patterns around small cones and along the painted white lines, throwing the footballs back and forth. Sometimes it looked like they were dancing. Their timing was perfectly in sync with each other. I didn't understand half of the shit that was going on, but every time one of the guys did something particularly good, Rose would jump up and cheer for them, her inner cheerleader making an appearance.

At one point, they divided up, putting on helmets and shoulder pads before they started doing drills on actual game plays. That was when I found out that Edward was the wide receiver. He hung out in the back a bit, doing various tricks with the ball; rotating it around his waist or between his legs, and then some kind of catching drill where he fumbled the ball around in one of his hands.

Eventually, Emmett, who I think is the quarterback, called the ball in and then he started doing passes or… something like that.

Edward was very fast and moved with a kind of grace. I watched him sprint out, do a juke around a few of the players, before he turned and caught the ball that Emmett had thrown to him. Rose and I watched them play for a bit longer until eventually she got bored. I used my empty slushy cup as an excuse to leave.

"We're leaving!" Rosalie called out.

I watched Emmett pause the game and run over to us while pulling off his helmet.

"What are you guys doing later?" Emmett asked, eyeing Rosalie and I with a very excited expression on his face.

I watched the sweat drip off his brow and nose. He looked as if someone had dumped a bucket of water over his head.

"I don't know," Rosalie answered with a giggle.

"Are you guys… stoned?" Emmett asked, peering into our eyes.

Rosalie and I broke out into another fit of laughter as we turned to leave.

"Hey, keep your phones on you," Emmett called after us.

I watched Emmett run back to his teammates. He said something to them while pointing at us over his shoulder, which caused the boys to laugh and clap at us.

An hour later, Rosalie and I were sitting on her porch with two fresh slushies in our hands.

"We should go for walks more often," Rose suggested. "Especially when it's not raining."

"I agree," I said, taking a big gulp.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a text.

"Who is it?" I asked with a mouth full of cherry flavored deliciousness.

Rosalie sighed and turned her phone to face me.

_We're on our way._ –Emmett

"Who's we?" I asked confused.

"No idea," Rosalie answered as she typed in a response.

"So I'm assuming practice is over?" I asked.

"I guess so," Rosalie responded. "Its 3:30."

Just then, we heard the low roar of many engines as two vehicles pulled up in front of Rosalie's house. I stared with my mouth wide open, stunned by their sudden appearance. Emmett's Jeep and someone else's Jeep. It looked like Austin.

"Get in!" Emmett called out to us.

My eyes flickered over the two faces that stared back at me. Emmett and Edward.

_Too close for comfort,_ I thought.

I contemplated smoking another bowl before risking another night with him.

"Are you cool with this?" Rose asked me.

Her eyes were still a little pink from her high. I was instantly jealous. I was already sobering up.

I nodded to her and then followed her to Emmett's Jeep.

"What's up?" Rose asked as we approached.

"We're going for a ride," Emmett said with a wide smile. His hair was wet, but he looked clean. "Hop in."

My eyes flickered to Edward, who was staring at me over his shoulder.

_Jerk,_ I thought to myself. _I can handle this._

I climbed in beside Rosalie and we instantly set off.

"Em," Rosalie piped up. "Where are we going?"

"We're going on an adventure," he said. "Put your seatbelts on."

Rosalie and I glanced nervously at each other before we scrambled to pull our belts on. We drove for about fifteen minutes, taking the path to La Push, and when we reached a particularly empty road, Emmett swerved to the right and started down a bumpy dirt path.

"Hold on!" Emmett called out as he drove over the curb onto what looked like a mountain path.

Rose and I shriek with surprise, gripping our slushies firmly as the Jeep bounced. I heard Emmett shift his gears, switching them into 4-wheel-drive before he set off through the bumpy landscape.

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked, unable to hold my laugh in.

I was bouncing up and down like a jackhammer, covering the top of my slushy with my palm.

"Austin told us about it!" Emmett laughed over the music.

The stereo was blasting some Metallica song and we were all laughing in full hysterics while Emmett drove through overgrown ferns and canopies. My eyes flickered to Edward who was gripping the inner framing.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I asked, half amused, half anxious.

I saw Edward glance back at me, a small smile on his lips. But I instantly diverted my gaze.

"Look!" Rosalie shrieked to me. She was pointing out of the back windshield.

I turned and saw that Austin was following us, his Jeep bouncing along just as aggressively as Emmett's was. I laughed out loud at how comical the whole thing was.

Eventually, the path began to clear and the trees began to thin. We were approaching a kind of cliff. Emmett slowed to an eventual stop, the front of the car facing the cliff, with Austin parking beside him.

"We're here," Emmett laughed as he climbed out of the car.

Rosalie and I followed after him.

I glanced around me. We were pretty high up, overlooking the ocean and First Beach. It was beautiful and a little cold, but not too bad.

"Daaamn," I heard Tyler's exclaim.

I turned and watched Tyler, Mike and Austin climb out of the other Jeep.

"Hey Bella," Tyler said as he walked up to offer me a one armed hug. He was carrying a box of beer.

Emmett kept his car on and the windows down, allowing the music to play through his speakers. We all made ourselves comfortable, standing in a circle, leaning against the sides of the two Jeeps while Tyler began handing out beer bottles.

I sighed, placing my slushy on the ground by my feet before I reached for a beer.

"Rose!" Mike suddenly gasped. "Your mouth is blue!"

I turned to look at Rosalie, and sure enough, her lips, teeth and tongue were an alarming shade of blue. How did I not notice it?

"It's the slushy!" she exclaimed when we all burst out laughing at her.

I watched her rub the sleeve of her sweater over her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to get rid of the ugly stains.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have chosen a blue slushy," Mike said. "You look like a freak."

"Bella had one too," Rosalie argued.

"Yeah, but Bella's mouth isn't a freaky blue color," Tyler laughed. "She was smart enough to chose the cherry flavored slushy."

I giggled, and tried to help Rosalie rub the blue stains from the corners of her mouth.

"All right, assholes," Rose snapped. "For that, none of you guys are getting any of my weed. Bella!" she yelled, turning to me. "Give me my pipe!"

I giggled at her angry expression as I pulled the pipe and baggy from my hoodie pocket.

I watched Austin, Mike and Tyler complain in annoyance before they started begging her to share. Eventually, she agreed to let them have some and soon the four of them walked over towards the cliff edge where they started passing the pipe around.

"You're not smoking?" I asked Emmett. I kept my eyes away from Edward.

"Na," Emmett said, glancing at Edward. "Not tonight… cause of practice an all."

"But you're drinking?" I asked.

"Yeah. Alcohol doesn't stay in the blood stream as long."

"But you smoked yesterday," I argued.

"That was a mistake," Emmett laughed.

"I see," I nodded, taking a small sip from my beer.

We were quiet after that, just glancing around awkwardly before Emmett moved to go talk to Rosalie. This left Edward and I alone together.

I did what I could to not notice him. I didn't want to put up with another crying fit, nor did I want to give him a reason to try to make conversation with me. But of course, my eyes were not always under my control.

I glanced up at him against my will, my eyes flickering over his wet hair and the small bruise on his left cheek. I caught him watching me, but his eyes weren't on my face. They were on my chest. I stared at him for a moment, wondering what he was looking at. And then his eyes flickered to mine.

"You're still wearing the necklace," he said in a low voice.

I felt a slight tingling rush through my head, not only from the sound of his voice but also from his words.

I glanced down and sure enough, the little feather was peaking out right above my V-neck t-shirt.

"Yeah," I croaked. I cleared my throat embarrassed. "It was a gift."

I saw Edward's lip twitch into a tiny smirk.

"It was a gift," he agreed. "I'm… glad you're still wearing it."

I felt heat radiate up my cheeks from his words, but I didn't look away. I knew he could see my blush, but I didn't want him to know just how much his words were affecting me.

And then he pushed off of the Jeep and stepped towards me.

I felt my heart rate instantly pick up, a rough beating against my ribcage. It was always an unavoidable reaction to his presence.

I could smell him now; taste his scent on the back of my tongue. It was such a familiar smell, Old Spice, leather, a touch of cinnamon and just… Edward.

"Can we talk?" Edward asked in a low voice. His expression was serious, but his eyes looked troubled.

I had forgotten how much bigger he was than me. He was towering over me, my head barely reaching his shoulder. My eyes flickered over his face and then down his smooth neck. He had shaved today.

"About what?" I asked. My voice was shaky and hesitant.

I was trying my best to guard myself. I didn't want to fight anymore… I didn't want to cry anymore.

"There are some things…" he said in a deep voice. "Things you need to hear. Things I want to explain. I just…"

I watched him close his eyes with a slow shake of his head. His face was hard and stiff, his eyebrows forward as he took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"You deserve answers," Edward continued. "I need to talk to you, Bella."

He opened his eyes and I could see his pain now, pain that mirrored my own. I tried to suppress the suffering it made me feel to see him this way.

"Ok," I muttered shakily.

His face relaxed the tiniest bit before he reached for my drink and turned to place our full beers on the ground. And then he took my hand. His hand was hot and warm and just… perfect. He wrapped his fingers around mine and pulled me towards the woods, away from our friends, away from the music. Away from distractions.

We walked a few feet into the line of trees where they parted revealing a tiny clearing where a bit of sunlight peeked through. And then he released my hand, turning to face me. I felt myself tremble beneath his gaze. I was so unprepared for this, but I knew that I needed to hear it. I wanted him to give me answers, but I didn't know what my questions were.

I scrambled for a moment, trying to get my thoughts in order when Edward suddenly spoke.

"I've always been a private person," he began. "I don't let people into my life easily. I've gone through relationships with people growing up, but I've never let them stick. I'm… I have problems, Bella. I have trouble allowing myself to trust people. I can't even really trust myself sometimes.

"Rosalie and Emmett came into my life at a young age. Emmett became my adoptive brother and Rosalie was my first friend. We were classmates when we were younger and they always treated my like a brother. They were easy; they never pushed. When they asked me questions about my parents, they never forced an answer from me. They were always patient. I like to say that they helped me through some of the darkest years of my life.

"After my parents died, the pain I felt was immense. Understanding that I would never see them again…" Edward cringed, pausing for a moment. "You can't imagine what it felt like. I was too young to have the kind of intuition I did. I was too smart for a 5-year-old. Any normal kid wouldn't have really understood the loss, but I did. And I suffered from it.

"Carlisle adopted me a couple of years later and it took me many years after that to start speaking to him and confiding in him. To this day, I don't truly think of Carlisle as my father, only a guardian, a friend." Edward paused for a moment, his eyes searching mine.

I didn't really know what to say to him, I was busy absorbing everything he was telling to me.

"And then you came into my life," he said. His voice was tender, but full of pain. "Before you, I was perfectly happy in my solitude. I had friends that made me laugh, but I never let anyone get too close. My life was full of darkness with the tiniest bits of reason, bits of a promised future, a day that I could leave Forks and never turn back. A reason to move on. I was content. I felt safe in that mind set...

"But then you showed up, and a fire started within me. At first I didn't realize what it was, all I knew was that it was strong. It brought a kind pain from deep within me. Not a physical pain exactly, but a longing, the most terrible kind. Suddenly, you were all I could think about. Your voice… your face…"

I felt Edward's hand reach up and stroke the back of my cheek with his knuckles.

"It was as if I was waking up from a deep sleep, like I was being brought back to life," he continued solemnly. "It was exciting at first, being with you, seeing you every day. But I kept you at a distance; I didn't let you get too close. I avoided certain conversations with you because I was afraid of letting you in. My feelings for you confused me. They were strong, stronger than anything I had ever felt before. And so I pushed them back, keeping them below the surface.

"It wasn't until a couple of months in that I began slipping, allowing those emotions to make an appearance. That night, in my room when you were listening to Nina Simone, it was the first time I realized what that feeling was."

Edward paused and I could see a sudden sheen steadily gather in his eyes.

"It scared me," he said. "I didn't want to believe what it was. I spent so much time, so many years burying those feelings down deep so that I would never have to experience that kind of pain again. I knew that if I admitted it to myself, my feelings for you, then all I would do was feel pain and anguish when the day came that you would leave me… just like they did. I tried to get over it, what I told you in my room. What I admitted to you that night. Do you remember?"

"Yes," I breathed. "You told me you adore me."

"I tried to pretend it didn't happen," he continued. "Because I thought maybe I could just enjoy myself, completely in denial…

"And then you made me that CD. And all of the songs that reminded me of you were playing back at me. My heart burst with… _true love_… and I knew I couldn't hide it from myself anymore. I knew I wouldn't be able to deny my feelings for you. And then I did the worst thing I could have done. I pushed you away. I lied to you. I told you that I didn't want you anymore, that I didn't… love you. I lied because I felt like I had to. I was terrified, afraid of the consequences that love might bring me. I pushed you away, the one thing I've ever loved more than anything in my entire life."

He closed his eyes and I watched a small tear drip from between his lashes before he quickly brushed it away.

"I've spent this last month dwelling in my own anger and heartache," he continued in a rough voice. "Torturing myself. Hating myself for what I've done to you… for what I've done to _us_. You were the one good thing in my life, the one perfect thing, and I threw it all away because I'm fucked up, because I was so afraid to fall in love."

I watched him take a staggering breath before he opened his eyes again.

"But I'm not afraid anymore…" he whispered. "I _love_ you, Bella. I've loved you since the day you walked into my life all those months ago. I love more than I've ever loved anything in my entire life. And I'll understand if I'm too late, I'll understand if you've moved on… I did this to us. But I need you to know that I love you, I will _always_ love you… and I'm sorry… so fucking sorry that I lied to you, that I told you I didn't want you. It was the worst kind of blasphemy."

I closed my eyes, allowing his words to sink in while the tears dripped forcefully down my face.

"Bella," Edward whispered.

His hands moved to my face, gently cradling my head as his finger wiped the tears from my cheeks and lips.

"Can you ever love me again after everything I've put you through?" he asked softly. "Could you ever forgive me for what I've done to you?"

I opened my eyes at met his gaze.

Edward's face was full of anguish and despair. All of his walls were down and he was allowing himself to be seen, every feeling, every thought. My eyes flickered over his beautiful face, over his creased brow, his pouting lips and then to his green eyes. I could see hope there. Hope for me, hope for us.

"The way I feel about you could never change," I whimpered. "I _do_ love you."

I watched his eyes flutter softly as he released a shaky breath.

"But the pain I've felt… the _agony_," I continued. "It was as if you had taken everything inside of me. You hurt me."

"Can you forgive me, Bella?" he asked again. His voice was a little stronger now, but it trembled with his emotions.

"I already have…" I whispered.

His mouth was on mine, and I crumbled beneath his embrace. Our lips flew open in a couple of loud gasps, our mouths sucking against each other, savoring the feel, the heat, the hunger. I felt his hands slip from my face to wind tightly around my shoulders, crushing me into his chest.

I kissed him back with all of the love and pain I had felt over the last few weeks I'd spent without him. My heart was pounding in a disjointed rhythm against his and my breathing was rough as I panted into his mouth. There was nothing in the world that could have compared to this, the feel of him against me, his words rolling over and over inside my mind.

"I swear," he gasped when his lips finally released mine. "I promise you, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I'll never put you through this kind of pain again, I promise."

I nodded, gasping, waiting for my heart to slow.

"I love you so much, Bella," he said again. "I'm so sorry."

"I love you too," I murmured softly.

I opened my eyes and met his gaze. His expression as still pained, but he smiled softly at me.

I unwrapped my arms from around his torso and brought my hand up to his face. Very gently, I stroked his cheekbone with my trembling fingers, over the small bruise that lingered there. And then softly, I brushed my fingers over the crease between his brows. His expression instantly relaxed and all I could see in his eyes, the love I felt bursting inside of me.

His eyes roamed over my face, drinking in my eyes, my nose, my lips, memorizing me.

"I saw this face," he murmured as he softly stroked my cheek. "Every day, every night, you were in my mind, in my thoughts. I was thinking of you every second that you weren't with me. These last few weeks have been the darkest days of my life. I finally feel whole again."

I felt my heart swell from his words, the scars suddenly disappearing as if they had never even been there. He was describing exactly what I had been feeling. I took a deep breath, and it felt clear and cleansing. I could finally breathe freely.

Edward leaned down and kissed me again, very tenderly on my lips, my nose, my eyes, my cheeks.

"Why now?" I asked softly. "Why did you wait so long?"

"I'm an idiot," he answered. "I kept trying to convince myself that leaving was the best choice for both of us. I'm insane." He shook his head angrily at himself.

"No," I said. "I understand why you were afraid."

"It wasn't until last night," Edward said, peering down at me. "Your reaction to the song. I just couldn't take it anymore after that. Please know that I didn't intentionally try to hurt you or even relate the song to you. But when I heard you sing, it broke my heart even more. And the lyrics that followed, from the second verse, it fit so perfectly to how I felt… how I _feel_."

I felt my lips pull into a sad smile.

"I've missed you every moment," he murmured. "The sound of your laugh, the way your hair smells, the way it feels to hold you." His arms tightened around my waist. "I tried to go after you when you ran away towards the water, but Emmett stopped me. He said you weren't ready."

I blinked up at him, stunned.

"I've spent the last few weeks trying to come up with a way to apologize to you," he continued. "I couldn't handle the pain anymore. I thought about writing you a song, a love letter. But last night, seeing the tears in your eyes, I knew I couldn't wait anymore."

Edward reached his hand up to brush the pad of his thumb beneath my left eye.

"This morning, I woke up and I was desperate to see you," he said. "I needed to explain. I tried to skip out on practice and just run to your house, but Emmett didn't let me. I told him that it had to be done tonight, no matter what. He suggested another night out and I agreed to it. Did you notice that they all purposefully left us alone?"

I watched his lips twist into his dazzling crooked smile.

"They knew?" I asked stunned, turning to peer into the darkness where our friends were talking and laughing.

"Well, they knew that I wanted to talk to you. Rose didn't know anything though," he said. "I made Emmett promise not to tell her. I didn't want her to warn you. I wanted you to have an… honest reaction."

I felt my smile widen.

"Wow," I laughed.

"I should have done it sooner," he said softly, his frown replacing his lovely smile. "I shouldn't have waited so long."

"Its ok," I said.

"No it isn't," he disagreed. "It never will be. But I promise, I'll spend every day making it up to you. I'll make sure you never regret this."

I sighed, reaching up on my tiptoes to kiss him again.

"Thank you," I whispered softly to him.

"I love you," he whispered back.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you all like this chapter. It was so hard for me to write, I really wanted to get it right! There will be more coming from Edward; this is just some of what he's been thinking and feeling.**

**Do you agree with Bella's decision to take him back? I hope you do! I really don't want you guys to hate Edward. I know many of you are upset with him.**

**And don't forget to REVIEW and tell me what you think! Ah! I'm nervous!**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	27. Chapter 27: Rekindle

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 27: Rekindle**

Walking through the short canopy of trees I felt a sudden relief in my heart. A weight had been lifted from my chest and I felt whole again.

I glanced around and spotted our friends standing around the two Jeeps. Rosalie was drinking from her blue-raspberry slushy again, her lips an even dark tint of blue, while she listened to the four boys talk amongst themselves sipping casually on their beers. They didn't seem drunk or stoned and I momentarily wondered if maybe they hadn't smoked again at all.

I smiled at them before I turned to peer up at the boy beside me.

Edward.

I still couldn't believe that he apologized to me. I had given up hope the first day after the party, at school when he deliberately kept his eyes away from me. I felt like I understood him more now, and if I was being honest with myself, I had already known why he'd done it. Why he called off the relationship. I knew he was afraid. I had known all along that he wasn't ready, and that's why I blamed myself. I pushed him.

I already knew that he chose his true friends carefully, that much was obvious, but I hadn't realized just how afraid he was to let other's further into his life. From what he had explained to me, even his closest friends were still kept at a distance. He told me that he was waiting for the day that he could leave Forks and move forward without any regrets; just leave it all behind him… even his friends. It wasn't until I came along that everything in his life was thrown out of proportion, like a tsunami plowing through his perfect little world of solitude.

I studied his face from above me. His dazzling green eyes, the small smirk that pulled at the corner of his lips. This boy was so troubled and just beginning to let me in. I was still upset about how he handled the situation, his birthday party. I couldn't help but wish that maybe he would have pulled me aside and spoken to me in private. But life doesn't work out that way. It's not pretty and it doesn't give a shit about offending you. Real life kicks you in the balls sometimes… but I could handle it. I did handle it, and he apologized. He gave me the best apology I could have asked for. He told me the truth. He confided in me and told me what he was really feeling. How could I not forgive him?

"So I see you two have made up," Tyler said from beside Rosalie.

I glanced up to see the four boys smiling back at me. Rosalie on the other hand, didn't look as pleased. I met her gaze and watched as her eyes scrutinize the way Edward held me.

One of Edward's hands was in mine while the other lay draped over my shoulder.

"You shouldn't have caved so easily, Bella," Mike said with a small sneer. "You can't always forgive a pretty face."

Emmett released a booming laugh before throwing a hard punch at Mike's shoulder.

Edward shrugged, his smirk slowly deflating into a small pout.

"Seriously," Mike urged. "I saw how upset you were, Bella. You can't give in so easily. You need to make him pay for it."

"I did pay for it, Newton," Edward interjected in a low voice. "I paid for it every damn day. You know that."

"Well… maybe that's not good enough," Mike said.

"What do you mean?" I asked. My eyes were still on Mike.

"Yeah, Edward was upset," Mike shrugged. "How could he not be? He lost you and I know I would have been upset too."

I felt myself blush from his words. I was surprised that Mike still hadn't gotten over that little crush, or whatever it was, he had on me a couple of months ago.

"But that doesn't mean he didn't do anything wrong," Mike continued.

"Whose side are you on?" Tyler asked in Edwards defense.

"I'm on nobody's side," Mike said. "I'm just saying it how it is. He broke up with her. He was an idiot. I wouldn't have taken him back so easily."

"Don't get involved, Mike," Austin said in a low voice.

"All I'm saying is, Edward had his chance and he blew it," Mike rambled on. "If Bella was my girlfriend I wouldn't have let her get away so easily…"

"You don't even understand half of what their relationship is like," Rosalie intervened. "And you have a girlfriend, Mike. Did you forget?"

"No," Mike responded, sheepishly now.

"He's right, Rose," Edward suddenly said.

I glanced up to see a small frown covering Edward's face.

"I fucked up…" Edward continued. "But it's none of your business whether or not she should take me back. That's up to her."

I ignored Mike's snort and turned to pull Edward's waist into my arms.

I didn't speak; I didn't want to say anything that our friends could hear. The truth was, what happened between Edward and I was strictly our business. Yeah, he hurt me, but I still loved him. And for now, love was enough. My wounds would heal… they already have.

"Mike's just jealous cause he never got his chance with Bella," Rosalie laughed.

I blushed deeper and dropped my gaze away from Edward.

"Whatever, Rosalie," Mike snapped angrily. "I'm not the one with freakishly blue lips. Do you think Emmett's gonna let you put your mouth on his dick with it looking like that—?"

Rosalie turned and smacked Mike hard on the chest with her fist, causing everyone to release a low "Whoa…" in Mike's defense.

"Rose!" I gasped.

"Fuck you, Mike," Rosalie snapped.

"Rose," Emmett said soothingly.

I watched her shrug his arm away from her shoulder "He's been teasing me for the last hour," Rosalie hissed. "He fuckin' deserved it."

"I'm sorry, Rose," Mike laughed and then winced as he rubbed the ache from his chest. "I take it back."

We all spent the next half hour finishing up our beers and talking about the summer. The boys were eager to set up a day to go hiking the next time the sun was out, which Rosalie and I quickly declined. And then there was much talk about Lauren Mallory and the party she would be throwing this coming weekend. I wanted to decline that invitation as well, but I didn't really feel like discussing why. I didn't want to tell everyone that Lauren made me uncomfortable with her dirty looks and rude comments.

By the time the sky grew almost too dark to see, we all turned towards the Jeeps.

"Are we calling it a night?" Austin asked as he moved towards the driver's door.

"Yeah, I guess," Emmett said. "See you guys tomorrow. We have weight training at 11."

I called out a quick goodbye and then climbed into the back seat of Emmett's Jeep, just before Edward followed me in.

I smiled at him as he draped his arm over the backrest.

"Buckle up," he murmured into my ear.

I giggled and then strapped myself into the complex harness.

The ride back down the mountain was awful. I screeched and laughed and screeched again as Emmett took unnecessary turns over large boulders and fallen trees. It was awful. Edward held me most of the time, his arm outstretched over my torso, keeping me pinned to the seat so that I wouldn't bounce so aggressively.

But eventually, Emmett reached the curb that lead to the road and we started off back towards Forks and away from La Push.

"Do you wanna come over for a bit?" Edward murmured quietly into my ear.

I glanced up to see him peering at me in the dim light of the Jeep. His face was calm and composed, but I could see a hint of yearning in his eyes.

"Yes," I murmured softly, close to his lips

Edward let out a relieved sigh. It was as if he was waiting for me to turn him down.

I listened quietly to Emmett and Rosalie laugh about Emmett's reckless driving while Edward drew soft patterns into my open palm. I would glance up at him every little while, unable to keep my eyes off his face. And every time I looked at him, his eyes would be on mine, studying me, drinking in every detail.

"Emmett," Edward said when we reached the turn that led to their street. "Take me home before you drop Rose off."

I didn't look away from Edward's face, so I didn't see what Emmett's reaction was, but he headed towards their house just like Edward asked.

Five minutes later, Emmett was pulling into their driveway and Edward was climbing out.

"I'll be back to pick up my truck a little later," I said to Rosalie as I climbed out of the Jeep behind Edward.

I felt like I was in a daze, my mind and tummy filled with excited little butterflies as I made my way towards Edward's front door. Being alone with him for the first time in weeks was almost as nerve wrecking as it had been the first time he came over to Charlie's house. I felt my cheeks blush with anticipation as he led me through the front door.

The house was quiet inside, and very dark.

"Where are your parents?" I asked Edward softly as we moved towards the staircase.

"Work," Edward murmured.

He took my hand and led me up the stairs and to his room in silence. Once we entered he released my hand and moved quickly to turn on the bedside lamp before he began gathering up various clothes and books from his bed before straightening the sheets. His room smelled exactly as how I remembered though it looked much more disheveled than I was used to. There were clothes everywhere and there were loose papers gathered all over the ground, especially in front of the fireplace. And I noticed his acoustic guitar resting against the leather couch.

While Edward cleaned up, I moved towards the various sheets of paper, keen to see what he had been working on.

Glancing down I saw that they were… music notes. But not ordinary music notes. They were scribbled blindly, covering every inch of the white paper. I crouched down and brushed my hand over the black ink. I could feel the indentations to where the pen pressed harshly into the paper.

"Its music," Edward shrugged.

I turned to see him hovering over me, scrutinizing my face.

"Music?" I asked, smiling up at him.

"Its how I write music."

"What is it about?" I asked.

"Its just a little something…" he said, looking away. "Something I've been working on recently."

I nodded, glancing back down at the scattered sheets.

They were all like this. Some looked much more chaotic than others. Some were in blue ink and in pencil. They didn't look to be related, but then again, I couldn't read music, let alone the way Edward wrote music.

"Is it a song you've been writing on your own?" I asked as I picked up a sheet.

"Yeah." He crouched down to sit cross-legged beside me. "But it's not ready yet."

"Can I hear some of it?" I kept my eyes away from him, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

"Sure," Edward said after a moment of contemplation.

I watched as he shrugged out of his leather jacket before he leaned forward on his hands and knees to retrieve his guitar.

He glanced at me once, offering me a shy smile before he strummed his fingers softly over the strings, warming up.

"Its not very good," he warned. "I haven't really worked out the chords yet."

I nodded and leaned back onto my palms, waiting.

Edward took a deep breath and then he began to play. His chords started off soft and slow, using mostly his fingertips to pluck a few chords before he strummed out another few beats followed by a base chord that lingered. And then he brought the tempo back up, plucking away. The melody was soft and inviting but still a little… melancholy. The chords flowed nicely together for a minute before they drifted into a pattern that seemed somewhat disjointed, but a couple of seconds later, the rhythm slowed again to a melody so unbearably sweet.

I watched Edward glance at the page closest to us, the page with the black ink, before he plucked a few chords and added a couple of strums. His expression was sad, his lips puckered in concentration and I couldn't help but wonder what it was that inspired the beautiful song.

And then Edward ended the song by throwing in a few rough strums before he clasped his hand firmly over the strings, silencing them.

"It still needs a lot of work," he said with a deep sigh, and then he sat up and placed his guitar back on its stand.

I stayed seated, watching him clean up the pages and place them in an old leather folder on his bookshelf before he turned to the stereo.

"You and Jasper seem to be getting along better," I noted as I watched him busy himself with a couple of CD's.

"Yeah, we kind of talked."

"So you're not in a fight anymore?"

"No. It turns out Riley was the one who manipulated Jasper into thinking that we weren't friends anymore. I mean, yeah I was pretty pissed off about the whole thing with…" he turned to look at me over his shoulder. "Well, you remember."

I nodded.

"Like I told you, I don't let people in easily. Jasper and Emmett were the only two people who knew how much I care about you."

Edward placed a disc into the compartment and hit 'Play' before turning the volume dial to low. I recognized the band immediately. The Zombies.

"Jasper knew how I felt before the accident. That's why I was so pissed. I confided in him, I told him everything. He was trying to help me understand that what I was felling was actually… _love_."

I watched Edward clean up the many stacks of CD's that lingered on his stereo.

"And when he neglected to apologize to you or to me, I felt like I was losing respect for him. Jasper isn't the kind of guy who holds a grudge. He knew that I was upset and he was waiting for me to come around… Riley's the one who instigated a fight. Apparently, he had been feeding Jasper that bullshit about guy code and how I was a bad friend because I was choosing a girl over him."

Edward turned to face me. He crossed his arms casually over this chest and leaned back against the bookcase.

"I knew that some of the guys would have a problem with me having a girlfriend because we all dedicate a lot of time and energy into the game, but I didn't think it would go that far. But like I said, Jasper isn't the type of guy to get all bent out of shape. He knew how I felt about you."

"So you forgave him," I said.

"I did," he murmured.

We stared at each other for a moment.

"Come here," I said softly.

Edward pushed himself away from the bookcase before he crouched down and sat beside me.

I didn't reach for him or move towards him. I just sat and stared, my eyes roaming over his troubled expression and messy hair.

"You look so sad."

"I guess I'm just waiting," he said.

"Waiting for what?"

"For you to leave me. For you to come to your senses and realize that I'm fucked up." He closed his eyes. "I keep expecting you to tell me that I'm too late, that you're too upset, that you don't—"

I placed my fingers over his lips, silencing him.

And then slowly, he opened his eyes and gazed back at me. He looked so sad, so defeated. I couldn't help but shake my head at the expression on his face. It was the complete opposite of what I was feeling. This moment, sitting in his room with him was the first time in over a month that I felt somewhat at peace.

"That wont happen, Edward," I whispered. "I'm so happy right now. These past few weeks have been…"

I trailed off as soon as my voice began to shake with emotion. I wasn't going to cry, but it was still difficult to recall all that had happened between us. It was still hard for me to believe that he still wanted me. Maybe we weren't feeling as differently about the situation as I assumed. I too was waiting for him to run from me, to tell me that he was wrong. To come to his senses and say that this was all just a big mistake. Again.

"I can see what I've done to you," he murmured as he reached his hand up to brush his fingertips against my cheek.

I couldn't respond to that. I didn't want to argue with him, but I couldn't lie to him either. He knew that he had hurt me. He could see the pain that still lingered.

"Do you resent me?" he asked.

"No," I answered honestly.

"You should," he responded sadly. "Mike is right, you shouldn't have forgiven me so easily."

"I can only do what I feel." I said this as I placed a hand over my chest. "Call me reckless, but I know what I want."

Edward's eyes flickered to my hand before he reached down. Taking my hand into his, he turned my wrist and placed my palm over his chest.

"I'm afraid of what I feel," Edward responded. "I'm afraid of losing you."

His eyes lingered on my chest, unable to meet mine.

"You wont lose me," I said. "But you have to promise me something."

"Anything," Edward said, finally meeting my gaze.

"Don't ever lie to me. Even if your afraid, please just tell me the truth. Lying never helps anyone."

"I know," Edward murmured. "It almost ripped us apart."

"Promise me."

"I promise, Bella. I'll never lie to you again."

His voice was filled with so much certainty. It overwhelmed me, but not as much as his kiss did. As soon as he said the words he grabbed my face and pulled me towards him, his lips instantly crushing against mine. I whimpered in his embrace, but immediately parted my lips, eager for more. His kisses where quick and hungry as they sucked against my lips, my tongue.

I felt his hands release my head and slowly slide underneath my arms. Within seconds he had gotten to his feet, cradling me against his chest, before he walked towards his bed and placed me at the center of it.

We didn't speak anymore after that, we just kissed and held each other. It was perfect and sweet. Sometimes we would gaze into each other's eyes, just existing in the moment, savoring it. At one point, Edward hovered over me; one of his hands cradling the back of my head while his other hand traced every curve of my face.

"So beautiful," he would whisper softly to himself, especially when his finger traced the curve of my eyebrow or the edge of my bottom lip.

But soon we were aware of the hours ticking by and I knew that Charlie was expecting me.

"You have to go," Edward murmured against my lips.

"Did you read my mind?" I asked

"Its getting clearer," he said matter-of-factly.

I chuckled at this and then let him pull me from his bed.

It was 10:30pm and his family still wasn't home.

"Are you sure your parents are ok?" I asked him as we headed out into the brisk night air.

"They were at a meeting with one of Esme's clients. I'm sure they went to dinner with them," Edward said.

The drive to Rosalie's house was very quick and I found myself already feeling lonely. I was sorely tempted to just ditch Charlie and spend the night curled up in Edward's back seat.

"Well, goodnight," I murmured.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" His eyes looked hesitant again.

"Yes," I smiled. "I'd like that."

He watched me for a moment. He looked like he was trying to decide on whether or not he should say something.

"It seems like a long time, doesn't it?" he asked.

I nodded. I had my hand on the door handle, but I couldn't bring myself to open it.

"Do you want to…? I mean, you don't have to, but would you like to maybe come over… for a bit?" I blushed furiously aware of the way I was stumbling over my words.

"Yeah. Can I?" Edward asked. I watched as he tried to hide his eagerness.

"Sure," I smiled up at him.

"What about Charlie?" "Um…"

"I can sneak in. Maybe it would be more… _prudent_ for us not to talk about this with Charlie just yet," Edward suggested.

"I agree."

I didn't really want to discuss my relationship with Edward yet. Charlie knew that something had happened between us, but he didn't bother me about it too much. He only stated the obvious; that Edward wasn't around and that I haven't spoken about him. I kept our breakup a secrete, mostly because the conversation was too tender for me to have with my father.

"Are you gonna come over now?" I asked softly.

"Sure," Edward said with a smile. "I'll follow you home and wait for you in your room."

I giggled nervously before I climbed out of his car and rushed over to my truck, passing Emmett's Jeep on the way. Apparently, he was still with Rosalie.

After being in the Jeep and in Edward's Volvo most of the day, the sound of my truck roaring to life startled me. I jumped exaggeratedly and then laughed at myself before I pulled away from the curb and headed home. Pulling into Charlie's driveway, I watched as Edward's Volvo drove past me before parking about five houses down the street. I waited patiently for him to approach, and once he was only a couple of houses away, I gave him a quick wave before I rushed inside.

"Dad?" I called out.

Charlie was asleep on the couch. I could hear him snoring from the entryway.

I took a quick peek at my sleeping father before I turned and darted up the stairs. Edward was already at my window, struggling to keep his balance while trying to open it from the outside. I locked my bedroom door and then rushed over to the window, carefully pulling it open.

"Sorry," I whispered. "It was locked."

"Its fine," he chuckled before he stepped into my warm room. "Where's Charlie?" he asked softly.

"He's asleep in the living room." I turned on the twinkling lights that hung over my window.

I watched Edward pull off his jacket before placing it down on my rocking chair. I followed suite, removing my hoodie and kicking off my vans. Edward's eyes were on me, taking in my sock-covered feet before he too kicked off his Vans.

I couldn't help but drink in the way his thin burgundy t-shirt clung to his muscular arms and chest. Instantly I wanted to run my hands over the smooth planes of skin. And that's what I did. I walked over to him and allowed my hands to gently trace up from his elbow to his shoulder before slowly drifting over his soft pecks and firm stomach. The hunger I'd felt for his presence was crashing over me in waves. The desire was almost too much to resist. I let my hand shimmy nervously over his hip, over the edge of his jeans before my fingertips slid beneath his shirt. His skin was hot and smooth.

"Bella," he groaned softly, his hands sliding up over my arms. His fingers were cold, but his palms were warm.

I felt goose bumps breakout over my flesh as the electric pull between our bodies overtook my other senses. It was as if I had given myself up to my senses, governing less with my mind. I pressed my chest against his as I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss Edward softly on his chin. I felt him shiver against me just as the bulge in his pants grew stiff against my abdomen.

"Bella, wait," he pleaded. "What if Charlie wakes up?"

"He wont," I whispered before I let my tongue flick against his bottom lip.

That was all it took before Edward's resistance shattered around him. He ducked and captured my lips in a wet kiss, his hands instantly moving hungrily over my body. His fingers pulled roughly against me, one hand in my hair while the other yanked my shirt over my breasts. I couldn't help but moan in satisfactory when his lips moved to suck a path over my jaw and down my neck.

"I want you," he gasped against my heated skin. "I want you so bad, baby."

I trembled in his arms and pulled him towards me while I backed up towards my bed. As soon as my legs hit the edge of the mattress, I collapsed, bringing Edward down with me. He moved quickly, pushing me up towards the headboard while he pushed his way between my legs. I clung to his lips like a starving child while I forced his shirt over his head.

I took the opportunity to rub my hands over his smooth skin while I allowed my eyes to travel with them. I wanted to see his body so badly.

And then I gasped.

"What?" he asked hoarsely.

My eyes took in the detailed, shaded image of the dark cougar climbing its way down Edward's ribcage. The detail was impeccable, completely flawless, and gave off the impression that the cougar itself was crawling its way out of Edward's flesh, its agile body twisting around tears of flesh and bone, its claws stabbing through layers of skin. Its mouth was partially open, its teeth peeking out white and menacing, its eyes glowing eerily against the dark shading of its fur. The entire tattoo was black and white, the mountain lion's body shaded in a way that showed its dark tawny fur against the light patches on its belly, chin and jaw. The only color visible was coming from the tiniest hints of green in the cougar's eyes. It was beautiful, almost as much as it was frightening. I found myself hypnotized by the panther's eyes, its gaze seemingly wise and unfaltering as it stalked lethally. The tattoo was large as well, covering up most of Edward's side, his ribcage. It began just beside his right peck and flowed down to about where his waist dipped in along the horizontal axis of his bellybutton.

"I got it a few weeks ago," he murmured.

My eyes flickered to his face. Edward was watching me, gauging my reaction.

I was speechless.

"Do you like it?" he asked, almost shyly.

"Yes. Its… beautiful."

I let my finger trace over the cougar's brow before tracing it down its powerful looking arms. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the tattoo. It was so beautiful and so black against Edward's light skin. For a moment, I almost felt sad that he covered up so much of his beautiful flesh with such a large tattoo, but as I took in the detailed work and the expression on the cougar's face, I couldn't help but find it completely sexy.

A sexy accessory to his perfect body.

A loud snort coming from downstairs made me jump and pull my hand away from Edward's body.

"Relax," Edward chuckled, rubbing his hand soothingly against my cheek. "Its only Charlie."

I let out a shaky laugh before I finally met his gaze.

Edward's eyes were still hungry as they roamed over my messy hair and raised shirt. I took the opportunity to look him over. His chest was heaving slightly with his deep breaths and the bulge in his pants was unrelenting. I was instantly turned-on again and I reached up to wrap my arm around his waist, pulling his hips towards mine. Edward and I moaned in unison as soon as our bodies made contact. I wanted him so bad.

The next few minutes consisted of an angry tug-of-war; pulling off shirts, yanking on jeans and hair. By the time my jeans were unbuckled I was practically pleading for Edward to be naked and inside of me.

"Are you sure?" he gasped as he sat back and yanked my jeans down my legs.

"Yes," I whimpered. "I want you."

My head was swimming dizzily with lust and the need for proper oxygen, but I didn't dwell too long on it. As soon as my jeans and socks were off I tugged my panties down my legs and reached for the zipper on Edward's jeans. I watched him, practically whimpering, as he jerked his jeans and boxers down his hips before he hovered over me again.

"Do you have anything?" he asked between kisses. "A condom?"

"In the dresser." I moved my lips to his neck where I sucked roughly against his jugular.

Edward released a low groan from deep in his stomach as my teeth raked his skin and then he sat back again, ripping open the condom and sliding it onto his dick.

"Come here, baby," he said hoarsely as he wrapped his hands beneath my thighs, pulling me towards him.

I watched him rub his dick against my sopping wet center before he positioned himself and slid into me. The girth of him pulled angrily inside of me and I gasped out harshly, digging my fingernails into his forearms as he filled me completely.

"Shit…" I hissed through my teeth.

Edward stared down at me with hooded eyes, his breathing harsh and ragged.

"Are you ok?" He asked shakily. I felt his hips jerk slightly as he fought to restrain himself.

"Yeah…" I choked as I forced my hips up to take him in deeper.

I watched his face contort in pleasure before he pulled out and slid back into me, immediately picking up a steady rhythm. The feel of him moving inside of me was heaven, in human form. It was perfect, the feeling undeniably intoxicating. My body was working on a different frequency, all on its own. I began meeting his thrusts, bracing my heels against his calves and forcing my hips into the angle I needed him at. Our sex didn't last very long, but I wasn't complaining. The spring in my abdomen had grown so unbearably tight that after only a short amount of time I felt myself unraveling. Edward had to cover my mouth with his hand to keep me from screaming too loud, but in the moment, I didn't even care that Charlie might here me. I didn't care that my bed was squeaking or that my headboard might be banging against the wall. All I cared about was him… and me… and us together. And before I knew it, I was coming, hard against him.

His eyes gazed back at me as his forehead rested against mine, and that's how I came. He picked up the pace; one hand over my mouth while his other hand gripped my ass firmly into his fist, jerking me towards him, forcing me to meet his thrusts. And once I came undone I felt him follow immediately after me, choking out a small groan as he emptied himself into me.

"Fuck," he groaned just as his hand finally released my mouth.

I gasped for air in response and only then noticed the tears in my eyes, blurring my vision.

Edward noticed them too.

"Bella," he murmured softly as he brushed my sweaty hair away from my face.

"I'm ok," I said softly.

My voice and body were still vibrating with the aftermath of my climax. There was so much emotion, so many feelings rolling over my mind and body in waves, I couldn't decipher where my tears had come from.

"Did I hurt you?" Edward asked with a frown.

"No, no," I said, shaking my head. "I don't know why I'm crying, I'm not upset."

Edward stayed over me, his body partially on top of mine as his eyes and hands roamed over my face, soothing me. My heart was beating so hard. I closed my eyes and tried my best to make my body relax. Eventually I did, and as soon as the post orgasmic haze drifted over me I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.

I felt Edward shift beside me before he turned my body to face him. His hands were soft and gentle as they slid over my forehead, over my lips and neck and then down the curve of my back and hip. And that was how I fell asleep. It was the most content I'd felt in a while.

But the euphoria didn't last throughout the night. My head was filled with thoughts of happiness, but they were soon darkened by my fears and before I knew it, my dream had turned into a nightmare.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Oop… Cliffy. :D**

**I'll be posting the next Chapter tomorrow, as usual. ;)**

**Thank you all for the great reviews! And don't forget to leave me some more! **

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	28. Chapter 28: Cat Fight

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 28: Cat Fight**

"_Bella! You have to run!"_

_It was Rosalie screaming my name, her face stained with fresh tears._

_I glanced around me, the scene was too familiar. I had been there before. I was back in the parking lot in Port Angeles, the night of the concert. I could hear music coming from a distance, but I couldn't make out what the song was. But I knew for certain that it wasn't the Sunshine Underground, which confused me. It was a slower song, a sad song._

_I felt my stomach curl in on itself. The sound was familiar and I knew it meant something awful, though I couldn't yet place what it was._

"_Bella!" Rosalie screamed again._

_Her hands were on my wrist now, yanking me deeper into the darkness away from the vast greenery where the stage was. Where I knew Edward would be._

"_I need to find him, Rose," I pleaded. "I don't want to go into the dark."_

_My words were familiar in my own ears. I'd said them before._

"_He doesn't want you anymore," Rosalie cried. But her voice wasn't like her own anymore. It shifted, deepening, ringing out in smooth octaves. _

"_He doesn't love you," she said._

_My head snapped around to face her, but it wasn't Rosalie who held me. It was Edward. As soon as my eyes met his, he dropped my wrist, backing away from me._

"_I'm sorry, Bella," he said. His voice was like honey and his face was smooth, expressionless. "I can't give you what you want."_

"_What are you saying?" I asked. I could feel the tears drip from my eyes._

_I watched as he pulled his black hood over his head, hiding his eyes from me. All I could see now were his lips, which twisted up into his perfect crooked smile._

"_Mike was right," he said. "You shouldn't have forgiven me so easily." His voice was thick with resentment and I couldn't understand why._

"_Don't do this," I sobbed softly._

_I suddenly heard feet approach me, closing in on me from every direction. I spun around, taking in my surroundings. It was them, the men from Port Angeles. They looked me up and down with hungry expressions, lust burning in their eyes._

"_Edward," I cried. _

_But he was still backing away from me, leaving me behind._

"_I don't love you," he said in a deep voice. "I don't love you."_

_His words shot pain through my heart, pain that I wasn't expecting to feel. I doubled over, clutching at my chest. And then I heard it… the song. It was clearer now, ringing out over me, taunting me, torturing me._

"_Don't leave me," I tried to say, but the men were still closing in on me, blocking Edward from my view. "Don't leave me," I tried to say again._

_But my words were drowned out by Nina's voice._

'_Oh baby, I'm just human. Don't you know I have faults like anyone? Sometimes I find myself alone regretting, some little foolish thing… Some simple thing that I've done.'_

I woke with a start, my mind going haywire. I was frozen to my bed, stunned into complete silence by my nightmare. Nina's words continued to pulse in my ears, beating against my brain at the same tempo as my heart beat against my ribs.

My eyes darted around my dark room. Someone had turned out the Christmas lights, the only light visible coming from the moon that shown through the fog and mist beyond my windows. Slowly, I reached a tentative hand out, but the space beside me was empty. I felt the fear radiate through my chest, threatening to choke me.

"Edward?" I called in a broken voice.

_He left me_, I thought. _He left me again._

"No," I gasped as my body began to tremble violently. "No, no, no, no…"

I sat up, my head whipping around. My mind was spinning, images of Edward backing away from me into the darkness of the parking lot. He left me again. He left me alone even though he promised he wouldn't ever do it again. I couldn't believe it.

My eyes flickered to the rocking chair. I could see something curled up in a small ball on the seat, but I couldn't make out what it was in the dim light. His shoes were there, placed awkwardly on the floor beside the rocking chair. And then there was a sudden creak from my bedroom door. I let out a bloodcurdling scream before my eyes even took in the sight before me.

Edward stared back at me from the doorway with wide horrified eyes, dressed only in his boxers. And then I heard Charlie yell seconds before his feet moved heavily over the wood floor.

"I'm sorry," I gasped, my eyes instantly pooling with tears.

Edward stared at me for a split second before he darted towards my closet and threw himself in. Seconds later, Charlie came bursting into my room. I flinched and then yanked my blankets over my naked chest.

"Bella!" he roared, his head darting around, searching for what a probable burglar or boogieman. "What's the matter? Are you alright?"

"I'm f-fine," I stammered. "I just… had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Charlie groaned. "Jesus Christ, Bells. You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry." I couldn't even laugh at the fact that Charlie used a curse word. I was still so horrified by my nightmare, let alone the fact that Edward and I were on the verge of getting caught.

I quickly laid back down and pulled my blanket up to my chin.

"Are you sure you're alright? Do you want to talk about it?" Charlie asked again.

"No, I'm fine," I murmured. "Goodnight, dad."

Charlie took one last involuntary glance around my room before he slowly retreated, shutting the door tightly behind him. I didn't move or speak for a long moment, and neither did Edward. It wasn't until he was totally sure that Charlie wouldn't come barging back in that he finally peeked his head out of the closet.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, the tears still in my eyes.

Edward gave me a small nod before he crept carefully towards my bedroom door to lock it before climbing back into bed with me.

"What happened?" he asked as soon as he pulled me into his arms, my back fitting tightly against his front.

"I had a nightmare…" I whispered.

"About?"

I didn't respond.

"Tell me, it might make you feel better."

I shook my head. I didn't want to relive it. I wanted to forget about the images, the scene in my head, the words pulsing in my ears.

Edward pulled me tighter against his chest, obviously sensing the tension in my body. And then he placed a gentle kiss on my shoulder. I felt my heart flutter from the sensation and it broke my heart even more. I could hold back the silent tears that ran down my cheeks, pooling into my pillow.

"Tell me," he urged quietly. "Please, Bella. Tell me what's bothering you."

"I just want to sleep," I responded thickly. "Just help me sleep."

He gave me another kiss on my shoulder before he began stroking my hair, my arms, my hands. Eventually I calmed down enough to drift and luckily I didn't dream again.

A few hours later, at around dawn, Edward woke me up and told me he needed to leave before Charlie woke up.

"I don't want him to see my car," he whispered to me as he pulled on his t-shirt.

I couldn't help but feel a sudden pang of indignation as I watched him shrug into his jeans and shoes. I didn't want him to leave me, not when I felt this fragile… this lonely. But I didn't word my feelings.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, sensing my discomfort.

"Yeah," I lied.

"Can I see you later today? After practice?" he asked.

"Sure."

Edward studied my face for a moment before he pulled on his jacket.

"Are you sure you're all right? I don't have to leave. I can stay if you need me to."

"No," I shook my head. "You should go. I don't want Charlie to see your car."

Edward nodded, silently agreeing with me before he turned towards the window.

"I'll see you later, Bella," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss me.

His lips lingered longer than necessary, making my throat tighten up with emotion.

"Text me when you wake up," he whispered softly before he pulled away and climbed out of my window.

I watched him go and waved to him when he turned to blow me a kiss before he darted off into the night towards his Volvo.

I couldn't believe that it was only yesterday that he had apologized to me and I couldn't help but ask myself if maybe I had let things move a little too quickly since getting back together. I was like a puddle of mush whenever I was around him, unable to keep myself from melting whenever he spoke to me or touched me.

I sighed, pulling my window shut before climbing back into bed.

I couldn't help but feel that maybe we needed to take things slowly for a while. It was fine that we had sex last night. I could handle that. I needed that. I wanted it. But maybe, for now on, I would slow things down a bit. Obviously I was having some trust issues, which was the only solution I came up with as far as my dream went. I was afraid of him leaving me again, and that wasn't a healthy mindset. I had to fix me before I could allow myself to fall again. I needed to… slow things down.

I didn't regret my decision to forgive Edward, not at all. Edward was like my air, my life. I couldn't function properly without him. I understood his pain, his turmoil. I knew there was a reason why he was so closed off. He was protecting himself, protecting his heart. But still, I had a feeling that maybe my mind was trying to protect my heart as well. I knew that if we slowed down a bit and developed our friendship a little more, I wouldn't be so… afraid… if that's what I am.

I sat in bed for another couple of hours, listening silently when Charlie got up for work, when he showered, when he made coffee and then finally left. By that time it was 8 in the morning and I couldn't put off getting up any longer.

I took a long hot bat, letting my body soak in the little bits of suds. It helped plenty to relax the tension in my body, but it did very little to relax the tension in my head.

It wasn't until 10:30 that I got a text from Edward.

_Are you awake yet?_ –Edward

_Yes_, I wrote. _I never fell back asleep._

_I should have stayed with you._ –Edward

_No, Charlie would have found out,_ I wrote.

_I don't care._ –Edward

_I shouldn't have left you alone._ –Edward

_I'm all right. It was just a dream,_ I wrote.

_A nightmare._ –Edward

_I'm fine,_ I wrote.

_I have to go. Weight training in 15 min._ –Edward

_Talk to you later,_ I wrote.

_Soon. I'll call you when I'm out._ -Edward

I closed my phone and dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed some cash from the 'food money' jar and made my way to the super market. I decided on lasagna for dinner, so I quickly grabbed all of the ingredients I would need, along with a large fresh, French roll.

Cooking always seemed to put my mind at ease and right now, I needed to relieve some mental tension. So, back at home I quickly got to work.

I was in the kitchen preparing the meat and seasonings when I heard a soft knock on the front door. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was 3pm and knew it couldn't be Charlie.

Pulling the front door open, I gasped, seeing Edward standing with a wide smile on my front porch.

"Hi," he said shyly.

"Hi," I smiled back at him.

I had been moping around all day, dizzying myself with uncertainties and horrible images from my nightmare. It wasn't until I saw his face smiling back at me that I felt instant relief. It was as if my mind and body had been wound up so tightly, unknowingly waiting for the next moment that I would see him.

I let out a deep sigh, my mind and body finally relaxing.

Edward had both of his hands behind his back and in one swooping motion, he withdrew a small bundle of flowers he had been hiding from me.

I stared, wide-eyed, at the flowers in his hands. They were a mixture of various flowers. Mums, Freesia, Lilies, Roses, Daisy's, and Daffodil's, all surrounded by moss and baby's breath. It was beautiful.

"Wow," I chuckled.

"I didn't really know what to get you, but I know you like Daffodil's," he responded.

"I love it," I said, taking the flowers from him.

I pulled the small bundle close to my nose, taking in all of the different sweet and tangy scents.

"I'm making Lasagna," I said.

Edward gave me a wide smile in return as he followed me into the kitchen.

"Why the flowers?" I asked as I pulled an old clean sauce jar from the cabinet. The flowers fit perfectly in the jar.

"I just wanted to give you something nice," Edward shrugged. "I was thinking about you all day."

I felt my tummy flutter excitedly. Some things never change.

"How was practice?" I asked.

"Long," he sighed. "I'm a little sore today. I think I pushed myself too hard."

I glanced at him from over my shoulder and watched as he winced while pulling off his brown zip-up hoodie. His grey beanie was in place today and his chin looked a little scruffy.

He studied me for a moment, scrutinizing my face before he moved slowly towards me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. He hesitated before slowly reaching for me.

"Ok," I said. "A little tired, but I feel better now."

"I'm sorry about your nightmare," he murmured softly as he brushed his fingertips over my cheeks, jaw and neck.

I sighed against his touch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

I shook my head, letting my eyes fall closed as his thumbs rubbed soothing circles into he side of my neck, just behind my ears.

"I want to kiss you," he whispered softly. I felt his breath ghost against my lips.

I nodded and leaned forward. I wanted him to kiss me too.

His lips were careful, tentative as they brushed softly against mine. His hands slipped from my neck and moved down my back, rubbing gently, trying to relieve some of the tension that lingered even after my long bath.

"Was it about me?" Edward asked softly against my lips.

My eyes flickered open and I met his apprehensive gaze. He looked like he was preparing himself, like he had already known the answer.

I nodded.

Edward's eyes roamed over mine before he released a soft sigh.

"You were restless last night," he murmured. "You spoke."

"What did I say?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Not much," he responded. "I had just unwrapped myself from around you because I needed to use the bathroom. You called my name. At first I thought you had awoken, but when I checked I saw that you were still asleep."

He sighed again, and resumed stroking my temples and cheeks with his thumbs.

"Help me cook," I said, changing the subject. "I need to cut some onions and peppers, and I know how you feel about me handling a knife."

This caused him to chuckle softly before he nodded and turned to busy himself with the raw vegetables.

We spent the next hour preparing dinner. I got started on the ground beef and sausage, cooking the mixture in a well-preserved Dutch oven I had found in Charlie's pantry. Edward was very surprised by my kitchen skills, often offering comments about my poised fingers and confidence while handling of a wooden spoon.

"Stop teasing me," I laughed, nudging him with my hip.

"I'm serious," he urged. "I haven't even seen you spill anything or even trip once."

I laughed again as I stirred the lasagna noodles boiling in the salted water.

We took turns assembling the spread in a casserole dish, layering up the sauce, noodles, meat, and cheese. The entire house smelled deliciously of fresh parsley, marinara sauce, garlic and cooked meat.

"This is gonna be good," Edward said excitedly as he sprinkled cheese onto the noodles.

"Who says you're having any?" I asked.

The look on his face was priceless and had me doubling over in a fit of laughter. I had to tell him over and over that I was just kidding because of course he could stay for dinner.

Once the lasagna was in the oven, I began working on the garlic, parsley and butter spread for the French roll.

"I should have brought my guitar," Edward murmured.

I glanced over and saw him bending the fingers in his left and as if he was trying to remember some chords.

"Your ukulele is still in my room," I murmured.

"It is?" he asked surprised.

"You never took it home with you."

Edward gave me a wide smile before he darted out of the kitchen towards the stairs. It wasn't until a minute later that I heard him approach.

"Bella," he called softly. His voice was low and hesitant.

I had just finished spreading the buttery garlic mix over the opened slices of bread.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around.

And then I froze.

Edward was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. In one hand he held the ukulele, and in the other he held a small closed parcel. His birthday gift.

Even from where I stood I could see the letters, _'Happy Birthday Edward!'_ scribbled over the top. I gulped.

His eyes flickered to me and I could see all of the pain, anger and misery swirl behind his beautiful green eyes.

"I got that for you," I said, leaning my back against the kitchen counter. I tried to keep my voice bright. "Open it."

I watched Edward swallow hard before he placed the ukulele down on the small kitchen table. With surprisingly steady hands he slowly tore the wrapping paper open. I could see the stainless steel and Pearwood peak out from the wrappings. He froze.

"A Hohner 270," he croaked.

"Its an antique," I whispered. "I got it at the thrift store next to the coffee shop in town."

Edward raised his head, his chin held a little high as he appraised me. His eyes glittered slightly with the bit of excess moisture, but there was a small smile on his lips. He wasn't trying to hide his emotions from me, but still I was glad he wasn't shedding any tears either… even if he probably wanted to.

"Thank you, Bella," he said hoarsely. "Its beautiful."

He placed the harmonica down beside the ukulele and moved quickly towards me, pulling me into his arms in tight hug. And then his lips were on mine, kissing me hungrily.

"Thank you," he whispered again before his tongue pushed into my mouth.

I kissed him back, my head swimming with a mixture between happiness and sadness. It was the kind of reaction I wanted him to have, only I couldn't help but wish that I could have given it to him before that night…

Just then, I heard Charlie's cruiser pull into the driveway, causing Edward and I to jump and pull away from each other.

"Charlie's home," I gasped and then I turned to look at the clock. It was only 4:30; he was two hours early.

I watched Edward glance around nervously before he bent to retrieve his beanie that had fallen to the ground. I chuckled nervously as I watched him pull it snuggly onto his head.

"Is it ok that I'm here?" he asked.

"I don't know," I responded honestly as straightened my shirt and flattened my hair.

"Bells?" Charlie called with a gruff voice.

"In here, dad," I said.

Charlie walked into the kitchen, his face hard as he caught sight of Edward.

"Charlie," Edward said as he moved forward with his hand out.

"Edward," Charlie greeted, taking Edward's hand in a rough shake. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here visiting, Bella, sir. I hope that's alright." Edward's voice was smooth and polite. Obviously he knew that he wasn't only going to have to earn my trust back, but he'd have to earn Charlie's as well.

"Does that mean you two have made up?" Charlie asked.

I watched Charlie cross his arms tightly over his chest, while his gaze moved steadily between Edward and I.

"I've made some stupid mistakes, Chief Swan. I wont deny it," Edward answered honestly. "But I have apologized to your daughter and I'm doing what I can to earn her trust back, that's if she will allow me to."

Edward turned to glance at me over his shoulder.

I smiled at him encouragingly, which caused Charlie to snort under his breath.

"Dad," I frowned.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to disrespect you and not ask for your permission to do so," Edward added as he turned back to face Charlie.

I watched Charlie's eyes flicker over Edward's face and posture.

Edward stood tall and confident, his hands clasped behind his back, his shoulders square and his chin up. His expression was open and innocent, not mocking my father in any way. He was honestly asking for Charlie's permission and I knew that he was leave if Charlie rejected him.

"All right, Edward," Charlie said. "You've never given me any reason to misjudge you. However, this is my daughter we're talking about. I've never seen Bella as upset as she's been over the past few weeks and I know you have something to do with that."

I watched Edward's face fall, his jaw clenching, suppressing a frown.

"I don't know what went on between you two, but all that I ask is for you to be careful with my daughter. Don't give me a reason to dislike you, Edward."

"Yes sir," Edward said with a small nod.

"That smells good, Bells," Charlie said, changing the subject and offering me a small smile.

I gave him a smile in return. I wanted to tell him how happy I was that he didn't immediately kick Edward out of the house. I made a mental note to thank him later.

"It'll be ready in a few minutes," I said.

"You staying for dinner, Edward?" Charlie asked.

I watched Charlie uncross his arms and shrug out of his jacket. The interrogation was over.

"If that's alright with you," Edward said as he turned to glance at me over his shoulder.

"I'd like that," I said.

Charlie nodded once before he headed towards the living room, leaving Edward and I alone in the kitchen. As soon as Charlie was out of sight, we both instantly relaxed.

"He doesn't look to happy with me," Edward murmured and he picked up the harmonica. "But I guess I can't blame him."

Edward finished unwrapping the harmonica before he put it to his lips. He gave a soft blow, one hand holding the edge while the other cupped around the woven comb. He jerked his hand slightly so that the chord rang out sounding like a deep soulful flutter that reminded me of something that would be in an old blues number.

"You can play?" I asked surprised.

"No," Edward laughed. "But I want to learn. Did you get this after I told you that?"

I nodded, a small smile on my face.

"Play something for me," I said, pointing at the ukulele.

Edward sighed, scratching the back of his neck looking a little embarrassed.

"Please?" I pressed.

"What about Charlie?" he asked.

"Who cares about Charlie," I laughed, turning back to the bread and placing it on a cookie sheet.

I listened as Edward tuned his uke, strumming idly, his fingers movie quickly over the nylon strings, getting accustomed to the feel as he tried to come up with a song to play.

"Ok," he said clearing his throat.

And then he started to play. His strums were quick and the tempo was familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"The world is spinning too fast, I'm buying lead Nike shoes," he sang goofily in time with the chords. "To keep myself tethered to the day I try to lose…"

I turned and faced him. The lyrics were so familiar, but still I couldn't place it.

Edward was watching me while he played, a wide smile slowly pulling across his lips as he bobbed his head to the beat.

"My mama said to slow down, you should make your own shoes," he continued. "Stop dancing to the music of Gorillaz in a happy mood… Keepin' my groove on… Day… doo… de-bop!"

Within seconds, the song finally came to me. I realized that I hadn't recognized it because not only was Edward playing it at a much faster tempo than I was familiar with, but the song was usually accompanied by a hip-hop electronic beat.

"Get the cool… get the cool shoe shine…" I sang with him.

"Get the cool…" Edward nodded with a short laugh. "Get the cool shoe shine…"

I watched with a wide smile as Edward continued the song. His rhythm never faltered and neither did the lyrics he sang. The sound of his voice touched my heart. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it. So beautiful. So deep and eccentric. So entirely him.

I found myself singing along with him while I pulled the lasagna out of the oven and replacing it with the garlic bread before I moved around pulling out plates and forks. I didn't dance, because I couldn't dance. So the best I could do was nod my head to the beat and shrug my shoulders.

"Day…doo… de-bop…" Edward sang as the chords came to an end.

"Wow," I laughed, studying him with my hands on my hips.

Edward chucked and then coughed, clearing his throat.

"Not bad," Charlie said.

Edward and I both turned and found Charlie leaning against the entryway, his arms crossed over his chest and crinkly smile on his face.

"What song was that?" Charlie asked.

"_19/2000_ by the Gorillaz," Edward chuckled. "Were you there the whole time?"

"Most of it," Charlie shrugged. "Do you play any other instruments?"

"A little guitar and some piano," Edward shrugged modestly.

"You have some talent," Charlie said as he began slicing through the lasagna. "That's great. Not many people do."

"Thanks," Edward murmured.

I served Edward a hearty serving of lasagna and two slices of bread and we all sat down and dug in.

"Charlie?" Edward asked around his bite of food. "One of our friends is having a party this weekend. I was wondering if maybe I could take Bella with me."

I watched Charlie study Edward for a moment. Edward's gaze didn't waver away from Charlie's. He was holding his ground.

"Alright," Charlie said as he scooped up another mouthful. "But I don't want Bella home too late."

Edward turned to glance at me, a wide triumphant smile on his face.

I rolled my eyes at him, unable to fight back the smirk.

The three of us stayed seated at the kitchen table, talking about Edward's music, football and school. At one point, the two of them started talking about my truck. Charlie let slip that recently it hadn't been sounding very good and he was worried about me getting stuck somewhere alone. Edward offered to ask Sam to take a look at it. Apparently Charlie knew Sam and so they dove into a long conversation about Sam's skills and that having him take a look at my truck would be a great idea.

I smiled happily, knowing that my father and Edward still continued to get along.

Edward left a couple of hours later, and I gave a soft lingering kiss goodbye, silently wishing that he could stay longer.

He continued to visit me over the next couple of days and every day be brought me little gifts. After the flowers he brought a single Daffodil, for my bedroom, and then he brought one of his mother's homemade chocolate cupcakes. They were sweet and innocent and the best part was that they didn't cost money. He told me that they were meant to show that he was thinking of me.

But now it was Friday night and I was getting ready for Lauren Mallory's party.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Rose asked.

I was sitting in her bedroom waiting for Edward and Emmett to come pick us up.

"What are you so afraid of?" I asked.

I knew what she was afraid of, of course. How could I not? She was afraid for me. It would be the first time Edward and I would be seen in front of our friends as a newly rekindled couple. Of course I was nervous.

"People suck," Rosalie shrugged. "I just hope you're prepared. Someone might say something rude to you. After all, they were all there that night."

I sighed, turning towards her radio and switching away from the pop song that was bumping through her speakers.

At around 8:30 Edward texted me saying he was outside. I took a quick glance in the mirror, running my fingers through my hair, fluffing up my smooth waves. I was wearing one of Rosalie's black tank tops, a pair of dark skinny jeans, converse and my leather jacket. The usual.

"Are we getting high tonight?" I asked Rosalie as we made our way down stairs.

"You can't use weed as your crutch," Rosalie murmured as we left her house.

I rolled my eyes.

The party was super packed when we got to Lauren's place. And just like Jessica's had been, there were many high school kids there that I didn't know. There was music blaring out from the speakers in the backyard where a DJ had his turntable. There was a crowed of people there, dancing, drinking, smoking. The usual.

Edward threw his arm around my shoulders and led me into the house. Relief washed over me when I instantly recognized the many familiar faces in the living room. Our usual gang from Forks High was there, as well as some of the locals from La Push, including Jacob Black.

Jake was the first to approach us, along with Mike and Jessica.

"Hey, you made it!" Jake said, bumping fists with Edward.

I smiled at them, a little surprised that they were actually friends. Edward and I greeted many others before we headed over the keg outside in the backyard.

I was surprised that nobody really commented on the fact that I had Edward's arm draped around my shoulder, but then again, I wasn't too surprised. Word spreads fast in a small town like Forks.

Lauren, however, did approach us… but not because she was curious about our relationship status.

"Eddie!" she called out, rushing over to throw her arms around his neck.

This caused Edward to release me in an attempt to keep me from being attacked by her outstretched arms.

"Hey Lauren," Edward responded politely as he gave her a quick hug.

"How have you been?" she asked. "We have beer. Come say hi to my friends! I met a lot of girls down in La Push at your birthday party. You remember don't you?"

I cringed at her obvious attempt to annoy me.

Edward's eyes flickered uncertainly over Lauren's gushing smile.

"Uh… sure," he said. "In a little bit."

"Aww, come on," she whined, gripping his jacket firmly into her fist. "It'll only take a minute."

I frowned up at her, surprised by her boldness. I studied Lauren's heavy makeup and blonde processed hair.

"In a bit," Edward said again. "Bella and I just got here."

I watched as he easily loosened her grip from his jacket.

Lauren's eyes flickered to me, her wide smile faltering and her eyebrows raising as she scrutinized me with a disgusted expression.

_What a bitch,_ I thought.

"Ok," she smiled. "No problem, Eddie. Come see me in a little bit."

I watched her turn and march away on her too-high heels.

"Sorry about that," Edward said with a frown. "I don't know what the hell that was."

I shrugged, instantly letting the entire exchange roll off my back. I wasn't going to let Lauren Mallory ruin my night.

Edward got us a couple of beers before we turned to head back into the house, but of course, we were now bombarded by Tyler and Austin.

"Hey man, guess who's here?" Tyler said, throwing an arm around Edward face. "Football players from Port Angeles!"

I raised an eyebrow, completely missing why this would interest Edward.

Edward let out a short laugh.

"Let's go fuck with them!" Austin said.

"Not now," Edward said as he tried to pull away from Tyler.

"Come on!" Tyler urged.

I watched as Tyler pulled Edward roughly away from me. I laughed a little at his eagerness.

"I'll be right back, Bella," Edward said in slight annoyance. "Go find Rose."

I stared after him for only a moment before I turned and walked back into the house. I found Rose fairly quickly, sitting on a couch beside Alice and Kate. They were talking about Cheer practice.

"Where's Edward?" Rosalie asked me.

"Tyler," I said.

"Getting high?" Rosalie asked.

"Football players from Port Angeles."

"Figures," Rosalie responded with an eye roll.

I sat on the armrest beside her and took a sip from my beer. I listened patiently to the girl's conversation, but after a few minutes I grew bored and let my eyes wonder. I could see Edward through one of the windows. He was talking to a few guys, smiling at them, nodding here and there. I watched as he ran an uncomfortable hand through his hair. I couldn't help but smile slightly. He looked very handsome. His hair had some gel in it, and it was sticking out in a sexy disarray. His leather jacket fit him snugly and even from this distance, I could see the smooth round muscles of his biceps.

I let my eyes wander further. I saw Mike and Jacob standing with Jessica, Tanya and Lauren. Lauren was scrutinizing me, giving me a horribly dirty look. She held my gaze for a moment before she turned to face me. I watched as she opened her arms and nodded her head at me, inviting me in for a fight.

I gaped at her, surprised by her hostility. What did this bitch have against me?

For a moment, I contemplated getting up and slapping her hard across the face for being such an asshole. But then again, I had never been in a fight before and I didn't want to start now. Not because of her.

I turned away, ignoring the sly grin that spread across her face.

"What is up with Forks and people always wanting to fight?" I asked out loud.

Rose, Kate and Alice all turned to look at me.

"Oh shit," Alice said suddenly, her eyes on something behind me.

I knew who it was before I turned to look.

Lauren was striding towards me, flanked by Jessica and Tanya. At least the other two girls didn't look hostile. They merely looked confused.

"See something you like?" Lauren asked. Her tone was thick with sarcasm.

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused.

"I saw you watching me from across the room. Is there something you'd like to say?"

My eyes flickered over Lauren's bright pink lip-gloss. I cringed.

"Uh… no. You were the one giving _me_ dirty looks."

"I don't know what you're doing here," Lauren said. "This is my party and Edward was supposed to come here alone."

I opened my mouth, ready to respond, but Lauren instantly cut me off.

"Edward is not really interested in you. I hope you realize that. He's only stringing you along for one thing. To fuck you and then drop you. That's what he does. Ask Tanya."

My eyes flickered to Tanya who stood looking stunned behind Lauren. I watched a red blush creep up Tanya's cheeks and knew instantly that some of this might be true.

"Back off, Lauren," I snapped. "My relationship with Edward is none of your business."

I blushed from my own words. I instantly wished I was able to be more vulgar, more hostile.

"Edward was supposed to hook up with me tonight. So yeah, you being here is my business."

"Wait a second," Rosalie suddenly said as she pushed in beside me.

"No Rose," I snapped, throwing my arm out to stop her. "You're just jealous," I said to Lauren. "Jealous because Edward chose me over you."

If I thought this was a good comeback, I was dead wrong.

"Don't flatter yourself, Bella," she sneered. "I know you don't really believe that after what he did to you. You're just the rebound girl. Before you came along Edward was chasing after me like a little puppy, but I wouldn't put-out. That's why he cut me loose and moved onto you. I bet you made things really easy for him. I bet you still do. But don't worry sweetie, not many can resist a gorgeous face like his."

I heard loud exclamations erupt around me, but I blocked them all out.

I felt my throat close up, choking me. I was so angry and so hurt by her words. Yet slowly, unwillingly, I let them sink in. I had made things easy for him. Since the first day I met him, I was instantly attracted to him. Instantly drawn to him because I had known him so long ago.

My throat constricted even further.

I reached a hand up, eager to sooth the ache, but immediately thought against it. My hand stood raised, twitching embarrassingly for a second in the arm between Lauren and I before I reached for the small feather that sat cradled just above my beasts.

_No_, I thought. _It's not true. I know Edward. I trust him._

"Oh…" Lauren said, forcing a fake pout. "You're not gonna cry are you?"

Her words made my blood boil and I felt my rage reach its peak.

My eyes flickered to the window behind her head. I could see Edward through the window. He was standing with Austin and Tyler, laughing. He looked so happy, so content.

_He wouldn't lie to me, would he?_ I thought. But yes, he'd done it before. When he told me he didn't love me.

My eyes flickered back to Lauren. She had a triumphant smile on her perfectly glossed lips and a knowing twinkle in her overly decorated eye.

"You're such a loser," I said, my voice slowly rising. "Don't you have anything better to do than chase a guy whose not interested in you? Edward doesn't want you! He chose me! Get over it!"

"Hey!" Lauren said, stepping closer to me.

"Back off, bitch," I snarled. "And get your caked-up face away from me!"

Before I could take an involuntary step away from her, my head whipped hard to right from the sudden blow. I didn't even see it coming. I didn't register the pain at first, only the ringing in my ear. I turned in what felt like slow motion, my hair slowly falling over my face. I saw Lauren and her arm was held up across her body, her eyes on my face gauging my reaction. She fucking slapped me.

Something in me snapped and before I knew it, I was on her. Adrenaline coursed through me, fueling my rage and hatred. I'm not usually a violent person, but I couldn't keep my claws off of the bitch. My hands instantly went for her throat where I gripped her and slammed her down into the hardwood floor.

Lauren screamed, seconds before her fingers gripped into my hair, pulling hard. I yelled out from the pain that seared through my scalp and so I threw a hard involuntary punch at her face. I felt my hand connect with her cheek, but it was only a faint hint of pain against the feel of my scalp being ripped in half.

The fight between us didn't last long. I registered a hit to my mouth just before someone pulled me up and out of the scuffle.

My eyes darted around, taking in my surroundings, looking for the evil bitch.

I saw Edward suddenly as he came running through the back door, yelling my name, with Tyler and Austin hot on his heels. I watched as he jumped over the living room couch to get to me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he yelled as he pushed his way between Lauren and I.

It was Rose and Alice who had pulled me from the fight.

"Relax, Bella," I heard them say soothingly into my ear.

I push away from them, extremely pissed off and eager to rip Lauren's tongue out of her ugly mouth.

"Get off me!" I yelled as I lunged forward again.

"Bella!" I heard Edward's angry voice just before he stepped in front of me, pulling me into his chest. "What's wrong, baby? What happened?"

I tried to pull away from him, but his grip on me as like iron. I slumped against him defeated and gasping for air.

"What happened?" he asked again as she brushed the hair out of my eyes.

"Tell her, Edward," I snarled, pointing a finger at Lauren. "Tell her you're not interested in her! Tell her you weren't going to hook up with her tonight! Tell her not only with me to _fuck_ me!"

My eyes were on Edward's face and I watched his expression twist into shock before he turned to face Lauren, disgusted.

"What the _fuck_?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This fight was somewhat overdue. I almost put it in earlier, but I knew that it would go better here, after Edward and Bella got back together. There needs to be a least one psycho biatch to stir things up, am I right? Well, in my story, its Lauren instead of Tanya. Lol**

**Has this kind of thing ever happened to you? When I was in high school, there was at least one girl who HAD to make my life miserable. **

**Anyway, don't forget to REVIEW! :D**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	29. Chapter 29: Battle Scars

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Battle Scars**

"Jesus fucking Christ!" I groan. "Forks is making me crazy!"

I was sitting on the toilet in the bathroom with Rosalie and Edward, letting Rosalie nurse my swollen lip with some antibacterial solution she found in Lauren's stupid bathroom. Rosalie made some snide comment about not knowing what was up Laruen Mallory's fingernails; therefore, I eagerly let her clean up the small wound.

"These people are crazy," Rosalie laughed. "And Lauren had it coming. She must be seriously sprung on Edward or something because I don't know what the hell pushed her to do something so fucking insane."

My eyes flickered to Edward who was sitting perched on the tub across from me. He didn't look as upset as I did. This surprised me because she didn't only embarrass me, but she had embarrassed him as well.

"I didn't even know she had a thing for me. Not until you brought it up that night in my car," Edward frowned.

"I just don't get it. She's hated me from the start," I hissed.

"I don't get it either," Rosalie added. "She's been on the squad for a year and hasn't ever done anything this crazy. I didn't even know she had a crush on you."

I watched Rosalie's eyes flicker to Edward through the bathroom mirror.

"But why would she make all that shit up?" I snapped again.

Edward shook his head looking utterly bewildered.

"Maybe Edward hasn't given her the attention she wants?" Rosalie assumed.

"That's all?" I asked surprised.

"Bella, there are some crazy people in this world," Rosalie said as she dropped a used cotton swap into the wastebasket. "Lauren is obviously a boy-crazy, psycho, _bitch!_ Forget about her."

I rolled my eyes. How could I forget about this?

I was so mad at myself for lashing out at her, but I was so fucking humiliated from the way she approached me like that in front of everyone. The girl fucking attacked me. How could I not defend myself? This girl brought out a side of me that I didn't even know existed. She made me into some weird animalistic, jealous, controlling girlfriend. She made me momentarily distrust Edward.

My eyes flickered to him. Edward was watching me, his eyes curiously roaming over my face, trying to read my mind.

It would take me years to forget how embarrassed he made Lauren feel when he accused her of being a liar and laughed at her when she tried to defend herself saying, _'well, you used to text me before she came around.'_

Apparently Edward had been texting her, months ago. But supposedly they were friendly text's here and there, asking about homework assignments or addresses to parties in town. Edward told me that nothing had ever gone further than that.

"Fuck her," I murmured softly to myself.

She verbally attacked me and had even fucking slapped me. She was asking for a fight. She provoked me.

I clenched my fist involuntarily. My face was still burning.

There was a sudden quick rap against the door.

"Bella? Rose? It's me, Alice!"

I couldn't suppress my eye roll, which caused Edward and Rosalie to chuckle at me.

"I don't know why _you're_ so calm," I hissed to Edward. "She's spreading rumors about you too."

"Bella," Edward said, his mouth falling open in shock. "I don't give a shit what people think about me. You know that already. I don't give a damn about Lauren or Kirk or Riley or any of those assholes."

My eyes traveled over his face. He looked slightly… amused.

"I thought you didn't care either," he said. He was teasing me now.

"I don't," I snapped. "But she was in my face. I haven't seen _you_ turn down a fight."

Edward threw his head back in short, raspy laugh.

"Touché," he murmured.

I reached up and stroked a tentative finger over the tiny, healing cut on Edward's eyebrow. The one Riley had given him.

"Now we'll both have battle scars," I murmured softly to him.

He frowned, reaching his hand up to cup mine as he leaned into my touch.

"What's up?" Rosalie asked as she opened the door for Alice.

"I just wanted to see how you guys are doing," Alice said. Her eyes were wide as she took in my bruised cheek and bloody lip. "That poor mouth," she said with a deep frown.

"I'm fine," I said. "Its not too bad."

I couldn't tell if Alice's sympathy was real or not.

"Well, Lauren looks way more fucked up than you do. You pulled out some of her extensions," Alice said with a wide smile.

This caused Rosalie to bust up laughing.

"I thought you were friends with Lauren," I frowned.

"I am," Alice stammered. "But what she did… That was really fucked up. Anyone can see that."

"The only person she embarrassed was herself," Edward murmured dryly.

"Spreading rumors about you in front of the entire party and then being proven wrong?" Rosalie added. "Yeah… Forks High is going to have a field day."

"I can't even believe Lauren threw Tanya in your face too," Alice gasped. "What a bitch."

My eyes flickered to Edward and I saw him roll his eyes at Alice in exasperation.

"Did you really break up with her?" I asked softly, unable to stop myself.

"No," he snapped, shaking his head at me. "Tanya was never my girlfriend, I told you that. I don't know how Lauren got it in her head, but Tanya and I didn't have some huge dramatic breakup when we stopped seeing each other. It was not at all like that."

I cringed. It was Edward and I who had the huge dramatic breakup. Maybe Lauren was confusing me with Tanya. I cringed again. I didn't want to talk or think about Tanya anymore.

"Isn't Tyler hooking up with Tanya now anyway?" Rosalie interjected.

"I don't know," Edward shrugged. "I need a beer."

"Me too," I agreed.

"Let's go downstairs and enjoy the rest of our night," Rosalie suggested.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," I groaned. "This is Lauren's house. Don't you think I should leave?"

"No," Alice and Rosalie said in unison.

"She'll look like a stupid idiot if she kicks you out after you beat her ass," Rosalie said matter-of-factly. "And anyway, we can just hang out outside."

I sat up from the toilet and looked myself over in the mirror. The cut on my lip was minor, just a little red gash and my cheek had a purple bruise, but very little swelling. My hair looked wild and choppy from my hairspray and I ran my fingers through it, trying my best to tame it.

Whatever.

Edward sat up and draped his arm casually around my shoulders as he led me out of the bathroom. I couldn't help but feel totally awkward as I walked back through the house towards the back door. Everyone was scrutinizing me, giving me wide smiles, some thumbs up, or ugly sneers and other expressions of obvious distaste. But luckily my friends seemed to be at ease and they walked grouped around me, shielding me. Especially Edward.

He moved casually and confidently through groups of dancing people, his confidence slowly radiating onto me. When we got to the back door, he shifted, his arm sliding down mine where he grasped my hand and led me out towards the keg and tubs of beer.

I noticed with a smirk that the DJ had ceased the pop/rap music and was now playing some Rage Against the Machine. _Renegades of Funk _was blaring through the speakers and I found myself nodding my head in appreciation. This was more my style and I felt myself growing a bit more comfortable already.

Lauren's backyard was very big and very clean. It was mostly all concrete and brick, elegantly decorated with many fruit trees, planters, lights and lounge chairs. There was even a small bonfire roaring to life.

"It's nice out here," I murmured reluctantly to Edward.

"Esme designed it," he responded as he twisted the cap off of a beer before handing it to me.

"Really?" I asked in shock.

"Is it really that surprising?" he teased.

I glanced around. Light neutral colors, stones, glass, and greenery. It was definitely Esme's style.

"I guess it's not," I said to Edward.

I watched him take a long swig from his beer.

"She's been asking about you," he said. "I didn't tell her what happened."

I nodded slowly.

"I was too embarrassed," he added, defeated.

"Does she still want me to show her how to make that cake?" I asked with a small smile.

Edward reached up and brushed his thumb along my bottom lip. He purposefully avoided the cut.

"I think she does," he said. "Would you like to come over and show her some time?"

"Yes," I said.

It was difficult to have an intimate conversation like this while loud alternative rock music was blasting through the amplifiers.

Edward swooped down and gave me a long, lingering kiss before he grabbed my hand in led me through the backyard to where Mike, Tyler and Austin stood beneath a large beige canopy, passing around a pipe and blowing smoke into the brisk air.

"Hey Bella," the three boys greeted me.

"You don't look too bad after being in a cat fight," Tyler mused. "You should see Lauren. She looks all fucked up."

"Why?" I asked. "I barely even hit her."

"Apparently you threw your beer at her," Mike said with an amused smile.

I stared at him wide-eyed. I did have a beer in my hands when Lauren approached me, but I couldn't really remember what I had done with it. Did I really throw it at her?

The DJ was an eclectic soul. He bounced around between modern alternative, to classic pop, rock, underground rap, and contemporary hip-hop, keeping the audience constantly on their toes. And now he chose _Don't Fear the Reaper_ by the Blue Oyster Cult. I laughed at this. How could I not? It was so random.

"Cowbell!" Mike suddenly yelled to Edward. "I gotta have more cowbell!"

Edward, Mike, Tyler and Austin broke out into a loud roar of laugher, all four of them doubling over in hysterics and punching each other affectionately on the shoulder. I stared at them with wide eyes, utterly confused.

"SNL!" Edward said to me. His arms were wrapped tightly around himself as he continued to laugh. "Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken."

I shook my head.

"No?" Edward asked surprised. "You've never seen it?"

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Mike gasped. "You've never seen Will Ferrell's SNL skit?"

I shook my head again.

I watched as Mike and Edward pulled out their phones eagerly using their search engines.

"I got it," Mike called triumphantly. And then he passed me his phone.

It was a scene from Saturday Night Live, one of Will Ferrell's skits. He, Jimmy Fallon and a few others were dressed up as the band members of Blue Oyster Cult. Throughout the video, Will Ferrell was dancing around wearing a tight short shirt while banging on a cowbell. Throughout the video, there were many scenes where Christopher Walken, who was some kind of studio director, came out asking for 'more cowbell.' I cracked a smile and giggled a few times, but my reaction was nowhere near as dramatic as the four boys standing around me. They all hovered over my shoulders trying to watch. You couldn't even really hear the video over the loud DJ, but the four of them busted up in hysterically anyway.

"Come on, baby!" Edward gasps, pulling me away from his friends. "Dance with me."

I chuckled at him before I quickly shoved Mikes phone back into his pocket.

Edward spun me around quickly before pulling me tightly into his arms, his hips moving against mine as he danced in loose circles around our friends. One of his hands held mine while the other grasped my waist. I giggled softly, always surprised by his ease and confidence.

"Come on baby… don't fear the Reaper," Edward sang with a wide smile. "Baby take my hand… don't fear the Reaper. We'll be able to fly… don't fear the Reaper. Baby I'm your man…"

I giggled again, unable to contain myself as he spun me around once more. Somehow, this gorgeous man was able to make even saddest song sound funny and cute and romantic. Oh, the irony.

"I know it's probably lame," Edward said to me. "But I really do like this song."

I smiled at him again, letting him continuously spin me around until the DJ eventually dissolved the song it a Katy Perry and Kanye West number.

I groaned and tried to pull away from Edward, but his grip on me was tight.

"I love this song!" I heard Rosalie scream.

She had just yanked Emmett over to us, followed closely by Alice, Jasper, Mike, Jessica, Tyler, Austin and a couple of girls I didn't know. Rosalie was the most eager however as she spun around in Emmett's arms, thrusting her ass out against his crotch.

"You're… so… hypnotizing!" she sang loudly, her hands thrown up in the air. "Could you be the devil? Could you be an angel?"

I rolled my eyes and tried again to pull away from Edward.

He wasn't having that. He smiled down at me, pulling me tight against his body as he began to sway, forcing my hips to mimic his while he bobbed his body and head to the music.

"No," I groaned. I really didn't like this song.

"Come on baby," Edward laughed.

He dipped down, rubbing his nose against mine before gently nipping my chin with his teeth. I was instantly lightheaded and melting in his arms. Some things never change.

I succumbed to his relentless persistence and allowed him to make me move, thrusting against me, just as our friends did. Dancing was so odd and so… vulgar. I mean, everyone around was dryhumping for crying out loud.

"Bella," Edward's voice was smooth in my ear. Liquid honey running down my spine.

My eyes were instantly on his.

"Just go with it," he said with a smile.

One of his hands slipped up my back and into my hair where he wove his fingers around my thick locks and tugged. My chin was held high, my lips parted slightly as I gazed up at him. His eyes were smoldering pools of jade. I could see the flecks of gold in them. He stared down at me hungrily, a small smirk on his perfect lips.

Honestly, dryhumping in public with Edward to a lame pop song really wasn't that bad.

His hand in my hair loosed before his fingers drifting towards my jaw and then down my neck to where he pulled on the collar of my jacket, exposing my shoulder. His eyes searched mine for another moment before he dipped, placing a hot wet kiss on my exposed flesh. His kiss sent electric shockwaves to my clit, making me tremble against him.

"I love when you do that," he murmured into my hair.

I trembled again. His lips, his voice, his hands, it was all too much. I felt my panties dampen from my arousal.

Edward's eyes were on me again and he knew what he was doing. He pushed his knee between my legs, dipping us lower, forcing me to grind against his thigh. I jumped from the sensation as sweat broke out on my brow.

His smirk was small, but knowing. He knew exactly what he was doing to me.

"Wait," I gasped, but my words were feeble. I didn't really want to stop.

"I'm not doing anything." His voice was smooth, like velvet, but I could feel his erection now, pressing against my thigh.

Oh God.

His eyes were on mine, scorching with desire, watching me gasp for air now. My body was trembling as Edward gripped my hips, forcing my crotch to rub against his thigh repeatedly.

"I want you," I panted softly.

His eyes instantly went wide.

I didn't care that we were in front of our friends; I wanted him so bad.

I watched Edward's jaw flex and his adam's apple bob as she swallowed.

"Come on," he groaned huskily as he pulled me away from our dancing friends, towards the back door of the house.

We reached the steps, when Edward suddenly paused. He glanced around for a moment and then he turned, pulling me towards the gate that divided the backyard from the front. I watched as he reached up, undoing the small clasp on the wooden fence before pulling me through the doorway and shutting the gate door tightly behind us. It was dark here and I was on him in an instant.

As soon as he turned to face me, I threw myself at him. My mouth was on his, sucking, my teeth raking against his full top lip as my body crashed against his. He released a soft groan as he stumbled backwards, knocking into the gate. But I didn't stop. I couldn't. His fingers slid into my hair as his tongue pushed forcefully into my mouth. I gasped, tightening my hold on his jacket and forced my body closer to his. My body was craving him, a physical reaction I couldn't suppress. My hands fisted into his hair as my right leg hooked around his hip. Edward moaned again, turning us so that he could crush me against the gate and pull me up into his arms. He was so strong, lifting me easily so that I could straddle his hips. My hands instantly left his hair and fumbled with his t-shirt yanking it up, exposing his chest.

"Oh God," I whimpered, when his mouth moved to suck on my jaw and neck.

His hands were beneath my shirt, yanking my tank top and bra up and away from my breasts, exposing me to his eager mouth. I whimpered softly as his lips closed around my nipples, which hardened beneath his tongue and lips. I had to fight back my scream.

"Fuck, Bella," he gasped as he thrust his dick against me.

His mouth was on mine again as he stumbled around blindly before placing my ass down on solid surface. As soon as I was sitting, his hands when straight to my jeans, popping the button open and yanking my zipper down. I broke the kiss momentarily to glance around me. I was on the trunk of an old beat-up car in a dark abandoned area between two houses. I could see the front yard from where we were. I hesitated momentarily, but soon surrendered to my desire for him. It was very dark here. The only sounds I could hear were coming from Edward's soft groans and the loud music beyond the fence we had just come through.

And then Edward tugged on my pants, pulling them down to my knees.

I gasped, but didn't pull away. Instead, I reached for his jeans, freeing his erection, my hand going straight to the smooth skin of his hard dick. He moaned loudly when my hand gripped him, stroking him slowly, but tightly.

"Fuck, baby," he gasped. His face was all screwed up, swimming with need and desire.

"I want you," I moaned.

Edward withdrew a condom from his pocket before he tugged my jeans and panties down, freeing my left leg. I watched him slip the thin latex over his dick before he pulled me towards him. His hand was on me, cupping my sex, fingering me, spreading my arousal all over me. I shivered against him as his fingers rolled against my clit.

"Please," I gasped. My body was on ignited, fire running through my veins.

He positioned himself at my center and I jerked towards him involuntarily, too eager, unable to wait for him to push into me. We both gasped as he filled me. I was panting now, my hands in his hair and on his shoulders as I rolled my hips against him.

"Christ, Bella," he gasped and then he began to move.

His thrusts were quick and eager, but I kept up with him easily, knowing his pace, knowing his body. I stayed sitting up, my chest flush against his, rocking against him as he pounded into me. The angle I was at was doing amazing things to my body. He filled me fully while my clit rubbed deliciously against his pelvis, slowly bringing me closer to my climax.

"Edward, I'm close," I gasped.

His smell was intoxicating, all musky, Old Spice and delicious, almost as delicious as his _taste_. Our tongues swirled together matching our thrusts. It was too much.

My body began moving faster, riding him, eagerly seeking my release. He felt it. He gripped my hips and pulled me towards him so that my ass hung off the edge of the car. I gasped; falling back onto my right elbow while my other hand gripped his jacket, keeping him close to me. This gave him a better angle and allowed him to fondle my clit. I came undone instantly.

"Shit!" I cried, my body convulsing as my insides constricted around him.

Edward came immediately with me, groaning softly in the crook of my neck as he jerked against me, spilling himself into me. We collapsed in a heap onto the car. Edward's face stayed buried in my neck while I held him, gasping out into the cold night air. My mind was swimming with euphoria as I gazed around and the thick green trees and foggy night sky.

After a moment, Edward slowly eased out of me.

"Did you plan this?" I asked as I sat up.

I watched him pull the condom off and expose of it in a nearby bush. I cringed.

"Not at all," he chuckled. "I was going to take you to my car, but you attacked me."

I giggled, pulling on my panties and jeans. Edward watched me the entire time, his eyes hooded while a small smile tugged at his lips.

"But… you did plan on… having sex, then," I stated as my cheeks flushed red.

"I don't know," Edward said softly, shrugging his shoulders.

"You had a condom on you," I mused.

I watched a playful smirk pull at Edward's lips.

"I'm always thinking of you Bella," Edward said softly. "Your face, your body…" I watched his eyes drift down the length of me. "You. You're always on my mind. So yeah, I'd rather be _safe_ than sorry."

I giggled at the way he accentuated the word 'safe.'

Edward's eyes lingered on me for a moment longer, watching my every move.

"What?" I asked nervously as I pulled my bra and shirt down.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head slightly. "You're just… so cute."

I blushed, looking away.

He approached me slowly, his fingers raking into my hair, pushing it out of my face.

"Look at me," he whispered.

I glanced up at him.

His thumb brushed along the bottom edge of my lip, again avoiding the small cut.

"So beautiful," he whispered softly. His words were barely audible.

I felt my stomach quiver from his penetrating gaze. His eyes looked dark in the dim lighting as they bore deep into mine.

"I love you," I murmured softly. I felt the muscles in my stomach tighten even more as I anticipated his response.

His eyes flickered slightly, and this lips twisted in a small crooked smile. I felt myself smile in return.

"I love you more," he said.

Edward helped me find my lost left shoe, and then we made our way back to the party. I couldn't keep the stupid wide grin off my face, as we walked back into the house and out into the backyard. His hand was deep in my back jean pocket and ever little while he'd give my butt-cheek as soft grasp.

The party was still in full flow, everything looking very drunk and high. I was happy I wasn't intoxicated. I had only had half of two different beers.

"Where have you been?" Emmett asked as he suddenly approached us.

I smiled up at him. If only he knew.

"Rosalie's been looking for you," Emmett scolded. "She's in the house. Apparently your dad has been calling nonstop."

I gasped, turning to Edward, watching him fish out his phone.

"Shit, its 1:50," he groaned. "I was supposed to have you home early."

"Uh-uh…" I stammered before I turned and darted into the house.

I glanced around, desperately seeking Rosalie. I had forgotten that I left my phone in her purse. And then I found her, coming down the stairs.

"Bella!" she snapped angrily as she moved towards me.

I sighed, feeling like a stupid child.

"I know, I know," I groaned. "Give me my phone."

13 missed calls and they were all from Charlie.

Edward was waiting for my by the front door so I didn't even bother calling out a goodbye to my friends. We rushed out into the street, laughing at our idiocy as we moved quickly towards his Volvo… when I suddenly tripped over a piece of broken concrete sticking out from the ground.

I screamed once before landed, sprawled out in the middle of the street.

Just my luck.

"Fuck!" I heard Edward snap before he was suddenly beside me, yanking me up.

"Ow!" I flinched. My ankle again… and my hands.

Peering down at them, I saw that the raw scratches were already starting to bleed.

"Jesus, Christ, Bella!" he snapped again as he grabbed my hands and inspected them.

"I have two left feet!" I complained in defense. "What do you want me to say?"

I watched a mixture of emotions flicker across his face before he suddenly burst out laughing.

I rolled my eyes at him and then turned, and tried unsuccessfully to walk to his car.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm walking home," I grumbled.

His hands suddenly slipped around my waist, stopping me.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into my ear.

And then he moved in front of me, pulling my right arm over his right shoulder before hoisting me onto his back. His hands instantly slid under my thighs before he set off back down the street towards his Volvo.

"Charlie's gonna be pissed," he murmured. "First a cut lip, a bruised cheek and now an injured foot. He's never gonna let me take you out again."

"I'll just tell him I fell," I said. "Its possible."

Edward snorted. Our walk down the block didn't last long, mostly because Edward moved so quickly. My weight didn't seem to bother him at all.

"What do you think Charlie's gonna say?" I asked as Edward placed me gently into the passenger seat.

"I don't know," he murmured as he climbed in. "But I bet he's going to be pissed."

I gulped.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"No," I lied.

We stared at each other for a moment before we both released small nervous chuckles. And then fifteen minutes later, we pulled into Charlie's driveway.

"Wish me luck," I murmured before I turned to climb out of the Volvo.

Edward's door slammed softly in response and I spun around surprised, staring into the empty drivers seat. Glancing around, I watched as Edward jogged around to my door. Once he was on my side, he pulled my door open and crouched down with his back to me.

"Climb on," he said softly.

I sighed and then allowed him to pull me onto his back and walk me to the front door.

"What are you doing?" I whispered softly into Edward's ear.

"I'm going to apologize to Charlie," Edward said. His tone was low but confident. I could see the determination on his face.

"Why?" I hissed.

"I've just recently got him to start liking me again," he hissed back. "I don't want to ruin that because we lost track of time."

I blushed as I recalled just why we had lost track of time.

Edward seemed to have sensed my sudden spike in body heat because he turned to peer at me over his shoulder with a small smirk on his lips.

I rolled my eyes and looked away as my blush deepened.

We reached the porch just as Charlie pulled the front door open. He was still in his jeans and grey flannel, but his hair was wild and disheveled.

"Chief Swan," Edward greeted. His chin was held high, his voice clear and confidant. He somehow managed to look self-assured even with me on his back. "I want to apologize to you for not bringing Bella home at a more decent hour. We were with some friends, and I accidently lost track of time."

I noticed that Edward left me completely out of this, making sure he took on all of the responsibility of our tardiness. He was trying to reassure Charlie that it is was in no way my fault.

I suppressed a grin.

"I understand if you are upset with me for bringing Bella home so late," Edward continued. "And so I'm here to ask for your forgiveness."

I was watching Charlie, gauging his reaction. He looked very surprised by Edward's apology.

"I appreciate your apology, Edward," Charlie said in a gruff voice. "But I am her father and I am _very_ upset right now."

Charlie was pissed. My eyes flickered to Edward's profile involuntarily.

"I understand that, sir," Edward responded. "All I'm asking from you in return, is to understand that I would never, in no way, try to have any kind of bad influences on your daughter. I would never take advantage of her. I have your daughter's best interest at heart and I would never intentionally do anything to disrespect you or your family."

My eyes flickered back to Charlie.

"Well, like I've said, I appreciate your apology and I do trust your intentions," Charlie said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You've proved many things to me within the past couple of days, hell, even in the past couple of months. You rushed my daughter to the hospital, you brought her soft foods when she couldn't eat solids for a week and you even brought her home unscathed from the concert in Port Angeles… as surprising as that might be."

I saw Edward's lips curl in a soft smirk from Charlie's words.

"There is not doubt in my mind that you have my daughters best interest at heart, but that does not mean that that you have hurt her before and it doesn't mean that this slip up will go unnoticed by me. You may make the best decisions most of the time, but your tardiness will not go unnoticed. Bella is sixteen years old, Edward. You can't forget that."

I watched Charlie give Edward a very pointed look. I gulped.

"Just because you're eighteen now and free to make your own decisions, doesn't mean you have right to keep my daughter out all night, even if it was an accident. You should be happy that I turn a blind eye to your age difference."

"I know that, sir," Edward said. I felt him stand a little straighter, possibly preparing for a punishment I hoped wouldn't come.

"What happened to you anyway?" Charlie asked, now eyeing my face.

"I fell," I snapped before Edward could get a word out.

I heard Edward sigh beneath me.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Charlie said, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck.

Edward lowered me slowly onto the ground and helped me stagger over towards Charlie. Thank god I only had about one beer. But still, I kept my mouth tightly closed.

"Well goodnight, Edward," Charlie said dismissively.

"Goodnight, sir," Edward said. And then his eyes flickered to me.

"Dad," I said softly. "Can you give us a moment?"

Charlie glanced between Edward and I before releasing an exasperated sigh. He left us alone for a moment, though he did leave the door wide open.

Edward approached me slowly, a small smile on his lips.

"I miss you already," he murmured. "I'm sorry about tonight. The fight and all…"

I chuckled at this.

"Lauren is a crazy freak," I whispered. "I'm sorry that she embarrassed us."

"I don't care about what she says," Edward said softly. "I only care about you and your beautiful face." He rubbed his thumb against the bruise on my cheek.

I smiled softly.

Edward leaned down and gave me soft lingering kiss before he turned back towards his car.

"Call me tomorrow," he said before he climbed into his Volvo.

I stood on the porch and watched him speed down our street before disappearing around the corner.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'm sorry it took me so long to post the third update, which was supposed to be posted on Monday. My boyfriend got sick, so I spent most of the day taking care of him. Poor baby.**

**Anyway, I will be updating Friday/Saturday, Sunday and Monday as usual. **

**I have gotten many new readers/reviewers as of late. YAY FOR ME! Keep up the great REVIEWS, guys! You know I love 'em! :D**

**And I want to thank everyone for reading, of course! Seeing how many new followers I get everyday is always so exciting for me. Do try to leave a review, though. Just for fun. ;)**

**Till next time. Xoxo**


	30. Chapter 30: Esme's Proposal

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 30: Esme's Proposal**

_Hi _–Edward

_Hey_, I wrote.

_What are you up to?_ –Edward

_Not much. Bed ridden. My ankle is still hurting,_ I wrote.

_Sorry_ –Edward

_Not your fault,_ I wrote.

_Still. I shouldn't have let you run in the street. _–Edward

_A normal person wouldn't have fallen so easily_, I wrote.

_True. But I shoulda known better._ –Edward

_I'm not a baby_, I wrote.

_Bella. You can't walk along a flat surface without finding something to trip over. _–Edward

_True_, I wrote.

_Miss you._ –Edward

_Me too,_ I wrote.

_Can I come see you?_ –Edward

_I have an interview, but I'll be done by 3._ –Edward

_An interview?_ I wrote.

_Yup. I'll tell you about it when I see you._ –Edward

_Ok_, I wrote.

_So can I see you after?_ -Edward

_I'd like that_, I wrote.

_Cool. Ttys_ –Edward

_Bring painkillers_, I wrote.

_Funny_ –Edward

_Kidding, not kidding_, I wrote.

_Lol_ –Edward

_;)_ I wrote.

I was lying, sprawled out on the couch with my right foot elevated on a pillow. The little slip I had yesterday cost me a sprained ankle. I had never had a sprained ankle before, but I soon discovered that it was just as bad as braking one. My ankle was purple and green and totally swollen, the pain radiated up into my thigh and lower back. Just my luck.

Charlie had allowed me to take some painkillers, the ones that Dr. Cullen had prescribed me when I had my injured lip and jaw. The painkillers helped, but they were very weak, so they only masked the pain for an hour or so.

Being stuck on the couch with nothing to do was one of the worst things that could have happened to me. Everything hurt, I was antsy, hungry and thirsty and there was nothing on besides lame daytime sitcoms. The only thing that kept me from going completely insane was my book, _the Catcher in the Rye_ by J.D. Salinger and knowing that Edward would be showing up in a little less than four hours.

My book was good and it helped me ignore the pain. But there was one thing I couldn't keep at bay. My bladder.

I sat up slowly, gripping the arm of the couch while I eased myself up onto one foot. Hopping to the front of the stairs wasn't too much trouble, though I wobbled a lot. But climbing the stairs was easily becoming a challenge. By the time I had hopped unsteadily up the first five steps, I was sweating and gasping for air.

"Shit!" I heaved as I leaned against the rail to take a break.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I eased myself down, sitting carefully onto one of the steps. My bladder was about ready to burst.

I reached into my shorts pocket and withdrew my phone. It was 2:30. Skimming through my contact list, I lingered on Edward's phone number. I contemplated calling him, desperately needing someone to help me before I peed my pants, but instead I returned back to my contact list, searching for Rosalie's number. It rang once before there was a sudden knock on my front door.

"Who is it?" my voice was strained with desperation.

"Me," Edward called. His voice was loud, but still flowing like the deep octaves of a bell.

I snapped my phone closed.

"Come in!" I gasped.

Edward pulled the front door open and stepped in. I could see him from where I was perched on the sixth step. He was wearing his black zip-up hoodie, his grey beanie, some faded brown levis and his messenger bag, which looked to be packed full with stuff.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he caught sight of me on the stairs.

I watched as his eyes flickered over me, landing on my hand, which was pressed firmly against my crotch.

"I need help!" I whined desperately. "I need to go to the bathroom!"

He chuckled and then carefully removed his messenger bag.

"Hurry!" I cried. "Please!"

He dropped his bag and hastily darted up the stairs, to my side. He pulled me up quickly into his arms and then ran to the bathroom where he sat me down slowly onto my good foot. He even opened the toilet seat for me.

"Please!" I cried again as I pushed him towards the door. "Go! Go!"

"Alright, alright," he laughed as he pulled the door closed behind him.

"And don't listen!" I snapped before I yanked my shorts down.

I did my business and straightened to look in the mirror. I looked like hell. I threw some cold water onto my face, withdrew the rubber band from my hair and ran my fingers through it. I was wearing a plain white t-shirt and pair of grey lounge shorts. No bra. I contemplated hopping over to my bedroom to get one, but instantly decided against it. My ankle was throbbing painfully.

"Ok, I'm done!" I called once I was somewhat satisfied with my appearance.

Edward walked into the bathroom hesitantly. I smiled at him from where I stood beside the sink.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"It hurts," I shrugged.

He frowned slightly and then gave me a quick kiss before he pulled me into his arms and carried me down the stairs.

"What have you been doing all day?" he asked.

"Nothing. Reading and watching TV."

"What are you reading?"

"_The Catcher in the Rye_."

Edward raised an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he murmured. "Its… one of my favorites."

I smirked as he placed me down gently onto the couch. I watched him fluff the pillow beneath my hurt foot.

"I thought you only liked the classics. Jane Austin, Emily Bronte and F. Scott Fitzgerald," he mused.

"I never said that."

"You said _Wuthering Heights_ was your favorite book," he responded.

"It is," I said. "But I don't only read the classics. I like more modern books too... jeez."

Edward laughed and made his way over to his bag.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

"A little," I said. "I had some eggs for breakfast, but I'm starving now."

I watched Edward pull open the flap on this bag before withdrawing a large white paper bag.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Food," he said with a smirk.

He took a seat by my foot and withdrew a couple of sandwiches and a couple of large fries.

"They're roast beef. I got them from _Gathering Grounds_," he said.

"From where?"

"_Gathering Grounds_," he said. "The coffee shop you and Rose went to. The one by the thrift store."

"Oh… Its called _Gathering Grounds_?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Edward laughed.

We made ourselves comfortable and instantly dug in. The sandwich was good. Meat, mayo, tomatoes, pickles, onions and lettuce. Nothing too crazy, but still good. The sandwich was very large however, so I offered my other half to Edward, which he devoured gratefully.

"I don't think I'll ever get over how much you can eat," I giggled as I watched him shove the last bite into his mouth.

He smirked at me, and my eyes flickered to the bit of mayo that lingered on the corner of his top lip. If it was anyone else, this may have grossed me out. But because it was him, I found it endearing. Sexy even.

"Good?" I asked.

He nodded enthusiastically.

I giggled again and took a bite from my fry. Edward had finished his already and was now starting in on mine.

"Thirsty?" he asked before he shoved a handful of fries into his mouth.

"There are some cokes in the fridge," I offered.

He got up and quickly jogged over to the kitchen. He returned with two cokes and quickly guzzled his down before burping and gasping out from the carbonation burn.

I watched him with wide eyes the entire time.

"Wanna watch a movie?" I asked as I settled back into the cushions, happily full.

"Sure."

I watched Edward shrug out of his sweater, beanie and shoes before climbed onto the couch by my feet. He arranged himself easily, sliding his left leg between the backrest and my right leg, and sliding his right leg underneath my left.

My right foot was my injured foot, so Edward easily withdrew the pillow and propped my foot up onto his stomach instead. We were instantly comfortable, our legs intertwined, our heads propped up on each arm of the small couch.

I flipped through various stations and eventually chose _Twilight_. A movie about a young girl who falls in love with a teenage vampire. I smiled happily. The movie wasn't necessarily the best movie in the world, but it was very deliberately exaggerated in a theatrical sort of way, which made all of the angst and romance fun to watch. And the main actor was pretty hot.

"Really?" Edward asked amused. "You want to watch a movie about a vampire who glows in the dark?"

"He glitters in the sunlight," I argued. "And yes I do. Its good."

"No its not," he argued back.

"Yes it is! Its cute and romantic."

Edward chuckled softly, his arm curving up behind his head as he settled in to watch the movie. His hand was gentle as it ghosted over my injured ankle and bare foot. Throughout the movie, his fingertips rubbed softly against my skin, soothing light strokes from the tips of my toes to the heel of my foot, or sometimes from my knee to my ankle. I was so happy I shaved yesterday. I wasn't too prickly.

At one point, in the middle of the movie, Edward got up to retrieve a bag of ice and some Advil to ease the swelling from my foot, before he climbed back onto the couch and resumed his gentle strokes.

I didn't remember falling asleep, but before I knew it, a warm hand was nudging my shoulder.

My eyes flickered open.

"Hey kid," Charlie murmured softly.

"Hey dad," I yawned.

I felt stiff and sweaty. My eyes flickered down to Edward who was still lying on the couch with me. His eyes were closed and he was softly snoring. His left arm was still curled behind his head while his right hand lay softly over the melted bag of ice on my injured ankle.

I smiled at his beautiful pouty face. He looked so sweet, so young, so innocent, and so unbelievably peaceful as he slept.

My eyes flickered back to Charlie. He was watching Edward too, but he didn't look very happy.

"How was work?" I asked my dad.

"Fine. Busy," he murmured. "Are you hungry?"

"No," I whispered. "But can you bring me a glass of water?"

Once Charlie made his way to the kitchen, I flipped through a few more channels, settling on a reality TV show about some guys who went digging through homes, junkyards and basements to find and resell antiques and collectables. It was actually pretty entertaining.

"Here," Charlie murmured softly.

He handed me a glass of water and two painkillers. I took them gladly. My ankle was throbbing beneath Edward's heavy hand, but I didn't have the heart to wake him up.

"Ill be upstairs," Charlie said softly. "But I don't want him spending the night."

"Ok," I murmured.

I watched Charlie make his way upstairs and then I turned back to the sleeping man before me. I laid there for almost another hour, just listening to his deep, smooth breathing. Like a lullaby.

But eventually he stirred and woke.

He shifted his arm from behind his head and then flinched in discomfort. I watched as his eyes flickered open, landing first on the bright TV before flickering to me. His lips pulled slowly into a small smirk.

"Hey," he sighed as he stretched his back.

"Hi," I smiled back.

And then I cringed when his body jerked against my tender ankle.

"Sorry," gasped and then he stilled.

"Its fine," I giggled.

"Is Charlie home yet?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "He got here a little bit ago. He's upstairs."

"What time is it?" he asked, looking a little startled. It was very dark in the house.

"Not sure."

Edward raised his hips and pulled his phone from his back pocket.

"It's a little after 8," he murmured.

I nodded.

We were silent for a moment as Edward rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his palms.

"Hey," I interrupted him. "So what was this interview thing you had today?"

"Oh," he smiled. He lifted my foot carefully and sat up a little. "I had a job interview at _Gathering Grounds_."

"Seriously?" I chuckled. "The coffee shop?"

"Yeah," he laughed with me.

"Wow, on a Sunday?"

"I know, but guess what?"

"What?"

"I got hired on the spot." His chin was up, held high in triumph.

I clapped and he bowed his head in thanks.

"That's great," I giggled softly. "So no more cutting lawns?"

"Nope. No more dirty fingernails."

I giggled again and scrunched my nose in distaste.

"My boss, Santiago, wants me to come in tomorrow morning at 9 for a second interview and some training. Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Yes," I said with a wide smile. "This is exciting. Do you know what your hours will be like?"

"I'll be working part time," he said softly as he stretched again. "Fifteen to twenty hours a week."

I nodded.

"I'll probably be working weekends," he added.

"At least you can still go to football practice," I offered.

He chuckled.

We hung out for another hour, talking about the coffee shop and what it looked like inside. We both laughed at the fact that there were stuffed, mounted deer heads on the interior walls, but the place seemed somewhat cozy. Edward even suggested that maybe he would be able to sneakily add a little input about the overall design of the place. He thought it would be cooler if it looked a little like Barbara's. I agreed instantly. I loved Barbara's.

Eventually, Edward carried me up to the bathroom so that I could wash up, before he carried me to my bedroom.

"I'll come by tomorrow," he murmured softly as he tucked me into bed.

"Please do. I'm not going to be able to do much for at least a few more days."

"What a shity summer you're having," Edward said. And then his face fell.

"What is it?" I asked cupping his cheek.

"I keep hurting you," he mumbled. "First the breakup and now this."

"Hey, stop that. I fell, big deal. I fall all the time."

Edward rolled his eyes at me.

There was a soft creak from my bedroom door and when Edward and I turned to check, we saw Charlie standing sheepishly in my doorway.

"I was just putting Bella to bed," Edward said.

Charlie gave Edward a short nod before he left my room.

Edward and I listened to his heavy footsteps retreat into the living room.

"I'd better go," Edward said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok," I murmured. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight baby," he responded.

Edward leaned down and gave me a lingering kiss before he stood up and closed my door tightly behind him.

I listened as he exchanged a small farewell with Charlie.

The painkillers had already kicked in, so within the next few minutes, I was pulled into a deep slumber.

At around noon the next day, Edward showed up with more takeout, breakfast eggs, pancakes, tea and coffee from _Gathering Grounds_, as well as his guitar.

"Hey!" I greeted from my bed as he entered with his arms full.

"I brought breakfast!" he said excitedly.

"And your guitar," I added.

"I figured, sense you're bedridden, you might as well learn to play the Uke."

"Ah. You did, did you?"

"Yup," he smiled. "And I'm gonna teach you."

"What happened with practice?" I asked.

"I told my coach I had an interview today, so let me off."

We ate our breakfast together on my bed while Edward told me all about his second interview and his works schedule. He said he was going to work Sunday mornings from 9 to 5, and Monday through Wednesday evenings from 5 to 9. Twenty hours a week.

"Not bad," I said, taking a sip from my tea. "I can come visit you at work sometimes. Maybe order some pie."

"Sure," he laughed. "But you need to let your ankle heal first."

I giggled and offered my uneaten bacon to him.

"All right, its jam time," Edward said enthusiastically. He rubbed his hands quickly together before he reached for the ukulele and handed it to me.

I instantly felt self-conscious.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked skeptically. "I know I'm not gonna be very good."

"Sure," Edward shrugged. "What else are you gonna do with all your free time?"

"I don't know. Read?"

"I broke my ankle once, from skating, and that was when I learned to play guitar," he said. "Trust me, there's no better time to learn."

"Alright," I sighed.

I watched Edward pull his guitar onto his knee.

"Let's start easy," he said. "You need to learn the chords first."

Edward showed me how to play the chords A through G. it was difficult at first, especially with my little hands, but I caught on fairly quickly. We went through them over and over until I could play each of them by memory.

"What about strumming?" I asked.

"Rhythm will come later," he said. "You need to learn your chords first."

He continued teaching me the minor and sharp chords, playing them back to me on his guitar so that I could hear what they were supposed to sound like.

"Alright," he nodded, obviously pleased with my progress. "Wanna learn a song?"

"Yes!" I giggled excitedly.

"Ok. A minor, F, C, G. Like this."

I watched him strum, down-up-down, down-up-down, down-up-down, down-up-down.

"Your turn," he said when he finished the first verse.

I tried… and failed. My hand creating the chords didn't seem to want to keep up with my strumming hand.

"Slowly, Bella. Take your time," Edward instructed.

Eventually I got it down. We played a bit more, but I was playing so slowly, I didn't know what the heck the song was, let alone what it was supposed to sound like.

"You play it," I suggested once my fingertips hurt too bad to continue practicing. "I wanna hear what it's supposed to sound like."

I handed him the ukulele.

"Alright," he laughed.

And then he started to play. His rhythm was smooth and perfect, adding some quick fingerpicking as if there was a transition before picking up the four chords again.

"I am a passenger…" he sang in a mock deep voice. "And I ride and I ride. I ride through the city's backsides. I see the stars come out of the sky. Yeah, the bright and hollow sky. You know it looks so good tonight."

He played the four simple chords over and over and continued to sing. I was in love… in deeper love as I giggled and watched him play.

"Get into the car. We'll be the passenger. We'll ride through the city tonight. We'll see the city's ripped backsides. We'll see the bright and hollow sky. We'll see the stars that shine so bright. The stars made for us tonight…"

I listened to Edward play until the song eventually ended.

"Wow," I laughed. "That was really good."

He laughed with me.

"Its really easy to play," he said. "You'll pick it up quick."

"Who sings that song? I've never heard it before."

"Iggy Pop. It's called _the Passenger_."

"What's it about?"

"I'm not sure…" Edward mused. "I always assumed it was about perspective. Like, this guy going through the world riding beyond control, seeing and feeling and living everything in the moment. Iggy Pop was once a heroin addict, so I'm sure he wrote this song when he was high."

"I thought it was about love," I murmured softly. "Or… making love, maybe."

I watched Edward's eyebrows pull together in amusement.

"Really?" he asked.

I blushed, dropping my gaze.

"Yeah, like… 'He sees the things he knows are his, and all of it is yours and mine, so let's ride and ride and ride…'"

Edward eyes stayed transfixed on mine as he mulled over my words.

"Yeah," he murmured. "'And everything was made for you and me, all of it was made for you and me…'" he added. "It probably is about making love."

I smiled at him.

His gaze was steady, unwavering. I felt my tummy tighten involuntarily as shock waves radiated through my veins. And then Edward pushed the ukulele aside and crawled towards me, hovering over me.

"I want to make love to you," he murmured softly as he brushed his nose against mine.

I felt my tummy flutter.

"I want you to make love to me too," I whispered back.

He dipped, capturing my lips with his. His breathing was deep and heavy as it blew across my face. It was the first time we openly admitted to making love. I know we had made love before, because I knew that when we were together it wasn't just about having sex. But saying that we wanted to 'make love' gave us a whole different perspective. We moved slowly against each other, relishing in the feel of every stroke, every caress, every kiss. And by the time we came undone we were both sweating and trembling, wrapped up naked in my warm blankets. I didn't even think about my foot once.

Edward came by to see me everyday for the next week, either before work or after football, and I continued to practice the Iggy Pop song, determined to learn it. I still wasn't very good, but Edward reassured me that playing an instrument took longer than just a week of hard dedication. It takes a lifetime of patients. His words didn't put me at ease.

It was now Saturday and my foot was feeling a whole lot better from letting it rest for so long.

"Are you gonna come see me at work tomorrow?" Edward asked softly.

"Yes," I giggled. "Is that ok?"

"Yes," he responded. "Esme wants you to come over after. She wants to bake that cake."

I blushed. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes. You have all morning to prepare," he reassured me.

"Uh… ok."

"Rose will be there too. Carlisle wants to barbeque."

"On a Sunday while you're at work?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't expect people to put their lives on hold just because I'm working," Edward shrugged.

I nodded sadly.

The next day, I called up Rosalie at around 1 and asked her if she wanted to go with me to the market. I hadn't seen her since I hurt my ankle at Lauren's party.

"Sure," Rosalie agreed. "I'll pick you up."

I dressed quickly in jeans, a white cami and a quarter sleeve black cardigan. I wanted to look somewhat nice if I was going to see Esme today.

Rosalie arrived a half hour later and we made our way to the single supermarket.

"So I hear you're coming to the barbeque at the Cullen's tonight," she said with a smile.

"Yeah…"

"Are you nervous?" she pried.

"Can you tell?"

"A little."

"I haven't been there since before Edward and I… you know, broke up."

"It'll be fine, Bella," she reassured me. "They don't even know about what happened."

At the market, I filled a reusable tote bag with all of the necessary ingredients Esme and I would need to make the cake. I was honestly very excited about the whole thing. I wanted to spend time with her, get to know her better, and I wouldn't mind making Edward a cake in the process.

"Let's go see Edward for a little bit," I suggested to Rosalie once we paid for our groceries.

"Ok," she agreed.

Five minutes later, we pulled up the _Gathering Grounds_. I felt nervous about walking in, but I wasn't even sure why.

"This is exciting," Rosalie hissed.

"I know," I laughed. "Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know, maybe because we've never had real jobs before?" she suggested.

I shrugged.

Walking into the coffee shop was a much more pleasant experience than it had been the first time I'd been there. I found Edward instantly. He was wearing a black polo, uniform shirt with a small name badge on the front. He was standing behind the counter with a woman, talking a laughing while he wiped a rag over the countertop by an espresso machine. He was wearing his beanie, and I rolled my eyes involuntarily.

He heard us come in and turned to glance at the door.

"Hey!" he greeted with a wide smile.

My smile mirrored his, relentlessly plastered across my face.

"Come here, you," he said softly as I grew closer.

He reached for my cardigan over the counter and pulled me towards him, his lips instantly crushing against mine. I giggled when his lips moved quickly over my cheek and jaw, leaving chaste kisses in their wake.

"Edward, are you going to introduce me?" the woman behind the counter asked.

She was short and Hispanic, but looked to be at least five years older than us.

"Sorry," he laughed. "Maria, this is my Bella. Bella, Maria." Edward gestured with his hand.

"Nice to meet you Bella," Maria said as she offered me her hand.

"Its nice to meet you too," I smiled, taking her hand.

She was about my height, with long dark hair, tan skin, and pretty hazel eyes.

"And this is Rosalie, one of my closest friends," Edward said with a pointed look at Rose.

She smiled happily as she reached for Maria's hand.

"Can I get you anything?" Edward asked as he rested his palms flat on the counter. He was eyeing me hungrily.

"Um…" I said, looking up at the menu on the chalkboard above his head.

"You look cute today," Edward interrupted.

My eyes flickered to his. He was checking me up and down.

"I wanted to look nice… for Esme," I said sheepishly as a warm blush covered my cheeks.

Edward rolled his eyes.

"You always look cute, baby," he said.

I blushed deeper and tried to distract myself with the menu.

"I'll get a… Caramel Latte?" I said. It sounded like a question.

"You don't drink coffee," Edward frowned.

"I know, but I wouldn't mind some of one today," I shrugged.

"Fair enough," he chuckled. "One Caramel Latte, comin' up. Anything for you Rose?"

"I'll get one too," she said.

Edward gave us a quick nod before he turned towards the machines behind him. He moved around easily and effortlessly, as if he had been making coffee his entire life. Damn, he was a fast learner.

I watched him measure the milk in a metal pitcher before filling a large metal spoon with coffee and sticking it into one of the machines, to brew the espresso, I was sure.

"Have a seat, ladies," Maria said in a slight accent to Rosalie and I.

We giggled like schoolgirls before we made our way over to a small table by the window. My eyes stayed glued to Edward's back the entire time. I watched him steam the milk, and wipe up his messes. And then I watched as he filled our coups. He did something with the caramel drizzle and the milk then, something I couldn't see, and then he was soon bringing us our cups.

"Two Caramel Latte's," he said.

He placed one down in front of Rosalie and then the other in front of me. Both of our drinks had a pattern drawn into the foam. Rosalie's was a kind of leaf and mine was… a heart. I giggled when I saw it.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked with a smile.

"Yes," I gasped.

"I learned some tips on Latte art this morning," he laughed.

"I love it," I murmured softly to him.

Edward leaned down and gave me a quick kiss before he turned towards the front counter.

"Wait!" Rosalie and I called out.

He turned, looking surprised.

"How much?" we asked.

"Its on me," he said with a smirk.

"No, Edward," I sighed. "I want to pay for it."

"Na, your first latte is on me, baby. Yours too, Rose." He caught her eager glance.

I giggled softly as I watched him walk back towards the counter. He looked sexy even with a black apron around his waist.

I took a sip from my drink, it was hot, but not too hot and very good. A hint of caramel lingered on the back of my tongue. Rosalie and I finished our drinks and after a full hour of bugging Edward with glasses of water, a couple of scones and a second round of Latte's, we decided to head out.

"We'll meet you at your place," Rosalie suggested as she wiped the foam from her upper lip.

"Are you gonna get started on the cake without me?" Edward asked.

"Maybe," I said with a shrug. "I'll see you soon. You're out in a little over an hour."

"Alright," he murmured.

He walked us to the door and gave me a quick kiss goodbye on the forehead.

The drive to the Cullen's house was quick; Rosalie had obviously driven there many times before. And when we finally arrived, with my tote full of groceries, Esme greeted us at the front door.

"Girls," she squealed happily. "Bella, I haven't seen you in ages."

"Hi, Esme," I said as she pulled me into a hug. "I brought groceries for cake."

She released a small laugh as she led Rosalie and I into the kitchen. The entire house smelled like barbeque, and it was probably because their patio door stood ajar. I could see Emmett and Carlisle through the glass, sitting on lounge chairs, talking by the grill.

"Are you hungry?" Esme asked. "We have snacks."

There were a couple of trays out on the island. One was filled with sliced cheese, salami, olives and crackers and the other had grapes, sliced strawberries, watermelon and cantaloupe.

"Wow, Esme," Rosalie and I gushed. "Thanks." We snacked on cheese, fruit and iced tea before we turned to my full tote bag.

"Lets get started," Esme said as she clapped her hands excitedly. "I can't wait any longer."

Rosalie left us a moment later to go hang out with he guys just as Esme and I set to work. We decided on making the cake the exact same way I had done the first time, and luckily I brought the recipe book with me. Everything was going to be made from scratch, the double layer chocolate cake, as well as the chocolate frosting.

"So how have you been, Bella?" Esme asked as she sifted the dry ingredients together.

"Good. You?"

"Fine. I haven't seen you around in a while, though. Not since dinner over a month ago."

_Uh-oh_, I thought to myself. _Here it comes._

"Edward and I… had a little fight," I said.

"Over what?" she gasped.

"It was a miscommunication problem," I murmured. I didn't really want to tell her exactly what had happened, especially if Edward hadn't told her himself.

"Was it about your feelings?" she asked tentatively.

I gaped at her.

"Sort of," I murmured as I mixed together the wet ingredients.

She nodded.

"Edward has always had trouble confiding in people," she said. "He still wont speak to me about his troubles. He never has. But I knew something was up between you two, even thought he wouldn't tell me."

"How did you know?"

"I know him," she sighed. "Before you came into his life, he was always so… quiet, and seemed so content in his solitude. But when you showed up, Bella, no one could deny the change in him. He was suddenly laughing all the time, eager to go to school. He even had a constant smile on his face. It was as if he had come alive."

I watched her wide smile shift into a frown.

"He's still so distant with me though. He doesn't… confide in me. Recently, just after his birthday, I heard him playing the piano in his room. His music was so sad, so melancholy. I knocked on his door and when he let me in, I tried to ask him what was troubling him."

I stood, transfixed, listening to Esme's story.

"He looked so sad, so pained," she continued. "He had circles beneath his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping, and when school was let out for summer break, it only got worse. I tried to talk to him, but he pushed me away. 'You're not my mother,' he told me, so I let him be."

I gasped, my eyes stinging from her words.

"I love him, Bella," she said softly. "Like he was my own. I just wish… he loved me too."

I turned back towards the batter, hiding the tears in my eyes.

"Its hard for him," I said shakily. "He's lost people very close to him and he suffers from it. He's just… afraid to love."

"I think he needs help," Esme murmured under hear breath.

I glanced over at her. She was watching me, her expression innocent as she gazed at me from beneath her lashes.

"I know," I said softly. "I think he needs help too."

I turned away from her and poured the batter into the two round pans before popping them into the oven. And then I got started on the frosting.

"How do I broach the subject?" Esme asked. "You know, about a psychiatrist."

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "This is Edward we're talking about. We can't push him, Esme."

"I know," she frowned.

"I'm serious," I pressed, rounding on her. "I've seen what it can do to him. This is a sensitive subject, more so than you might be aware of. Please, be careful and really think it over before you try to talk to him about it."

I felt my heart rate pick up as I imagined what his reaction might be like if Esme walked up to him and confronted him without planning. You had to ease him into the conversation, delicately. I knew this from personal experience.

"Seriously, Esme," I said nervously. "This is a really big deal."

"Maybe we can do it together," Esme suggested. "He cares about you, Bella. He trusts you."

I turned away from her. I had just gotten him back. I didn't even want to think about possibly losing him again. But as much as the thought pained me, I knew it was the right thing to do. Edward needed help. Esme was evidence of that, and even I was. Just because he was honest with me, didn't mean that he was being honest with himself. Someone could help him in that department. Someone, a professional, could help him not be afraid anymore. He needs to trust people.

"Ok," I said softly, my voice shaking with emotion. "I'll help."

Esme pulled me into her arms for another tight hug, just as the timer for the cakes went off.

Twenty minutes later, the cake was layered and perfectly iced, thanks to Esme's skills with a frosting spatula. I smiled happily at our masterpiece, but my smile didn't last long. I still felt weary. I was still contemplating the conversation I knew I would have to have with Edward soon. The thought hurt me and made me want to cry. I was so scared that he would run from me again; push me away because I got too close, because I brought up things he didn't want to think about. Emotions he kept buried deep.

Just as Emmett, Rosalie and Carlisle walked into the kitchen, with full plates of barbequed chicken, potatoes and vegetables, I heard Edward's Volvo pull up. My heart leaped into my throat as I moved hastily towards the front door. I pulled it open just as he shut off his engine and climbed out of the front seat.

"There's my girl," he said with a wide smile as he flew up the steps towards me.

I was in his arms in an instant, breathing in the smell of coffee, cakes, Old Spice and leather.

"I love you," I murmured into his collar.

I felt him shift away from me so that he could peer into my face.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

I could feel the moisture in my eyes, so I pressed my face into the crook just beneath his arm.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked again, a little nervously now.

"Nothing's wrong," I lied. "I just missed you."

Once my tears were under control, I pulled away and offered him my lips.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Am I sensing a bit of angst?**

**Leave me some REVIEWS, ya'll. :D**

**I'm sure there are some grammatical errors, though I hope I caught at least most of them. And please let me know if you catch something totally weird. Lol**

**Oh! And thanks so much for showing some love/concern for my bf. He's doing much better now. :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	31. Chapter 31: Dinner Conversations

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 31: Dinner Conversations**

"Charlie's coming," Edward said softly into my ear.

We were still standing on his front porch, my arms tied snugly around his waist, beneath his leather jacket.

"What?" I murmured against his shirt.

"Charlie," Edward repeated with a chuckle. "I called him and told him we're having a barbeque. He's gonna head over after work."

"You called him?" I asked, gazing up into his eyes.

Edward nodded, looking a little sheepish now.

"Are you upset?" he asked.

"Not at all," I giggled. "I'm just… a little surprised."

Edward smiled down at me, kissing me quickly on the lips, before he pulled me into his house.

"Hey, sweetie!" Esme called as we walked into the kitchen.

I watched her skip quickly to Edward, her arms out as she offered him a hug.

He smiled down at her and pat her softly on the back. He didn't hug her the way he hugged me, or even the way he hugged Rosalie. It was obvious he wasn't very affectionate with Esme and that hurt my feelings for her.

"Did you invite Charlie?" Carlisle asked with a knowing smile.

"I did," Edward said with a smirk.

"Carlisle knew about it too?" I asked Edward under my breath.

"Sure," Edward murmured softly to me. "I called and asked for permission."

"Why?" I was confused.

"I want Charlie to be around more," Edward shrugged. "He's a big part of your life."

"This doesn't have anything to do with earning some brownie points, does it?" I asked suspiciously.

"Maybe," he murmured guiltily as his arms snaked around my waist. "Seeing you for only a few hours each day isn't enough for me."

I giggled, slapping him softly on the chest. But I couldn't agree more. Seeing Edward for only a few hours everyday wasn't enough for me either.

Charlie arrived an hour later, and was warmly greeted with a few handshakes, some soft hugs and an ice-cold beer. I was so jealous; I could hardly contain my desperation. And after a little bit of joking with Charlie and some innocent begging from Emmett, we were all allowed to have one beer, tops. I guzzled down half of my beer in one sitting, earning a scowl from Charlie.

"Since when do you like beer?" Charlie grumbled suspiciously.

"Uh… since you gave me one for my sixteenth birthday," I lied.

My lie didn't go down well, but Charlie let it drop for now. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that there was a chance that I drank on occasion with some of the people from school, but because there weren't ever any accidents, and he assumed it didn't happy too often, he often turned a blind eye.

"I _love_ beer," Edward murmured softly into my ear.

We were all seated at the large dining room table, teeth tearing through barbeque sauce smothered chicken, potatoes and vegetables. It was delicious. Especially when topped off with an ice-cold brewsky.

Conversation flowed easily around the table. Emmett and Edward where trying to explain the mechanics of football to me. Apparently, because I was Edward's girlfriend, it was mandatory that I at least understood the basics. I found out that Edward was in fact the wide receiver and Emmett was the quarterback, meaning he was in charge of calling out plays when the couch couldn't. That didn't surprise me.

Esme, Carlisle and Charlie were deep in conversation about some of the wolf trouble Charlie had been dealing with recently. Carlisle let slip that some of the boys on the football team were planning on going for a hike as soon as the weather was warm enough, but Charlie insisted against it. This caused Edward and Emmett to groan pathetically.

"Where exactly are these wolves?" Emmett asked with obvious irritation.

"All over the damn place," Charlie grumbled. "We keep getting reports of animal attacks. Nothing too serious, mostly food missing or loud barking or howling, but its enough to frighten people. I've gathered up some rangers to patrol the woods, and have called the Wildlife Service Management for predator damage control, but I don't want you kids going out there for a while, not until we're sure its safe."

I saw Esme flinch from beside Carlisle.

I shrugged. I wasn't too keen on hiking anyway.

"Anyone ready for desert?" Esme asked, thoroughly changing the subject.

"I am!" Edward and Rosalie said in unison.

I giggled at them and helped Esme bring the dirty plates into the kitchen.

"Are you enjoying your evening?" Esme asked me as I walked in.

"Yes," I said with a smile. "The food was delicious. Thanks so much."

"Of course," she chuckled. "Bella, will you get some plates from the cabinet, I'm just going to throw these into the dishwasher."

_Dishwasher_, I thought. _Must be nice._

I pulled seven plates out and waited for Esme to begin cutting the slices. She made sure to give Carlisle, Charlie, Edward and Emmett bigger slices. And then we carried them out together.

"Mmm… Bella!" Rosalie moaned as she scooped a big bite into her mouth. "This is so much better than the strawberry one you made."

I glanced up at her in surprise, all of the blood instantly draining from my face.

She took one look at me before suddenly she choked on her bite. She spluttered and coughed and bounced in her seat. I watched, expressionless as Emmett smacked a hard hand onto her back.

"Which strawberry cake?" Edward asked.

I caught Charlie's eye. He glanced at me for a moment before his gaze flickered back to his slice of cake. He didn't look upset; he knew it wasn't his place to get involved.

I turned to face Edward's curious gaze.

"I um…" My voice shook a little. "I made you a s-surprise strawberry cake for your birthday."

I watched the realization flicker across Edward's face as he gazed back at me, stunned. His mouth was a little open, his eyes glazing over in pain.

"I-I'm so sorry," he stammered. "I… I didn't know."

"I know," I said with a smile. "Its ok."

"Bella and I shared it," Rosalie said softly, her voice was a little raspy from her coughing fit. "I'm sorry you missed out."

Edward's eyes flickered to Rosalie and she gave him a small, reassuring smile. She wasn't mad at him anymore.

"Excuse me," Edward muttered before he scooted out of his seat and turned towards the stairs.

Everyone glanced around at each other. All topics were ceased because of Edward's abrupt departure.

My eyes flickered back to Rosalie and she gave me a small nod in the direction of the stairs.

I nodded once before I turned towards Carlisle, Charlie and Esme.

"Excuse me," I said softly. And then I too scooted out of my seat and headed towards the stairs.

I knocked once before I entered his room.

Edward was sitting on his bed, hunched over his knees. One of his hands was placed unmoving over his eyes, his elbow on his knee, while his other hand held his beanie, limp in front of him.

"Edward?" I said softly.

He responded with a deep sigh.

I watched him for a moment, waiting so see if he'd look up at me. He didn't. So after a couple of minutes of no response, I moved towards him. I pulled his arms open and forced him to sit up straight while I crawled into his lap, straddling him. And then I slowly slid my arms around his neck, resting my chin against his shoulder. Sitting in his lap, I still managed to remain smaller than him, the top of my head still not reaching higher than his.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I know," I murmured, kissing the side of his neck and jaw.

He instantly leaned into my embrace, a soft moan rolling off his pouty lips.

"Don't be sad," I said. "I want you happy."

He sighed a little louder this time, though it came out a little shaky.

"I love you, Bella," he said to me. "I'm so sorry for what I did. I wish I could have been there Sunday. I wish I could have gone over and been surprised with that strawberry cake and with the harmonica…"

His voice caught thick in his throat. I held him while he took deep breaths, steading himself.

"I'm such a fucking idiot," he whispered. "I wish I could go back in time, I wish I could just… fix… things…"

"Don't say that," I said sternly. "We grow from our mistakes. You need to be strong."

I felt Edward's grip on me tighten.

"You need to learn to forgive yourself…" I said softly. "I have forgiven you, Edward. I'm not upset."

"You should be." His voice was scratchy. "You should hate me for putting you through that."

"No, Edward," I argued. "I understand why you acted the way you did. But you need to forgive yourself. You need to… maybe…. I mean, maybe you should… talk to someone."

I felt Edward's body stiffen around me.

_Shit._

"What do you mean?" he asked. His voice was still scratchy, but a little more stern now.

Paranoia flooded me; I didn't want him to start closing up.

"I mean, maybe you should consider talking to someone."

"I talk to you," he said.

"But… maybe I can't help you the way you need me to."

"Help me with what?" His tone was annoyed now.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "That's the problem."

"I don't understand."

I rolled my eyes at myself. Why did I try to do this now? I didn't even know what the fuck I was talking about.

Edward felt my hesitation before he suddenly sat back so that he could peer into my face.

My heart clenched with pain when I took in his expression. His eyes were pink, but thankfully dry. However, it was the look in his eye that hurt me the most. He looked so confused, so defeated. He looked weak and tired and upset and so, so sad.

"What are you talking about, baby?" he pressed in a soft whisper.

"I don't know. Never mind."

I reached up, cupping my hand around his jaw. He instantly leaned into my touch, his eyes slowly falling closed.

He stayed like that for a minute, breathing deeply, his face gently nuzzling into my hand every so often. My gaze traced over his perfect features; the smooth span of his forehead partially obscured by the tangle of his unruly bronze hair, the straight line of his nose, the sharp angle of his cheekbones, the soft curve of his full pouty lips, slanted in a slight frown. Even in sadness, he was utter perfection. So beautiful. I was sure I'd never take any aspect of him for granted.

And then his eyes flickered open. Wide, liquid jade starred back at me, troubled, but glorious, surrounded by a thick fringe of dark lashes. He gazed at me lovingly.

"I wish you could stay with me," he murmured. "I wish I could just hold you tonight. I feel so… confused… so tired. I'm so angry at myself."

I couldn't help the small frown that pulled at my lips.

Edward's hand reached up and brushed my hair away from my face. I watched his eyes flicker over me, glancing at various parts of my face.

His hand was gentle as it slid from my jaw, back to cup around the nape of my neck as he pulled me in. His lips were soft and as they pressed against mine before they slowly slid open, allowing his tongue to raze against my bottom lip. I opened my mouth, eagerly inviting him in. Our tongues slid against one another's in a slow dance before I sucked his top lip into my mouth. He tasted like chocolate and beer.

"Let's go down stairs," he said in a raspy voice. "I don't want Charlie barging in here."

I giggled, but forced my lips against him anyway as I slowly rolled my hips against his lap. A low groan escaped the back of his throat before he reached down, stopping me. I don't know what the hell came over me, but I couldn't take no for an answer. I rolled my hips against him again, receiving the reaction I was so desperately seeking. I felt Edward's cock come alive, hardening against my groin and pressing against me deliciously. My hands raked forcefully into his hair and his hand involuntarily slid up my shirt, eagerly seeking my breasts.

"God, you make me crazy." His words were jumbled against my tongue.

I whimpered in response, rocking against him, seeking friction.

"Baby, stop," he said huskily. "I'm gonna get in trouble."

"Mm-mm," I protested.

I yanked his shirt up towards his neck, my hands instantly gliding along his exposed flesh, towards his nipples, which I pinched between my fingers.

His hips jerked against me, making me bounce on his lap.

"Stop," he snapped with a slight chuckle.

And then his hands, like a vice, gripped my wrists and forced my hands behind my back.

"Stop," he said again, a little more seriously now.

His eyes stared back at me, swimming with lust and hunger.

"Ok," I gasped.

My thighs were trembling with desire, but I forced myself to climb off his lamp, giving him some space. He was right, after all. We shouldn't do this with everyone down stairs.

"Just give me a minute," he breathed.

I watched him take deep breaths, his eyes on the ground and his hands balled into fists on his thighs. And then he stood up and adjusted the bulge in his pants.

"Sorry," I giggled.

At least I didn't have to worry about hiding anything.

"Go look in the mirror," Edward said with a raised eyebrow, reading my mind.

I moved quickly towards his bathroom and looked in the mirror. Technically, I looked worse than he did. All he had to hide was the bulge in his pants and maybe the bit of flush on his lips. I, on the other hand, had wild sex hair, swollen red lips, and was completely covered in my own blush.

"Christ!" I hissed, running my hands through my hair.

"I love when you look like that," Edward said from the doorway.

I glanced at him. He was hiding half of his face behind the doorframe, a small crooked smile on his lips. He looked shy, but still very hungry.

I giggled and splashed some cold water onto my mouth before I fixed my eyeliner and followed him down stairs.

Edward had a happy face on now and we finished our slice of cake with easy conversation.

At one point, Carlisle moved the party into the den where there was a fire going. He offered Charlie a small scotch, which Charlie took gladly, and we all hung out for another hour, talking and listening to oldies music that Esme had in her collection.

"Ready to go, Bells?" Charlie asked once the time grew late.

"Sure dad," I said, pulling away from Edward's warm and toasty side.

"Do you need a ride home, Rose?" Charlie asked.

"Um, no thanks, Charlie," Rosalie said with a small smile.

I watched her glance up at Emmett. I was instantly jealous and almost debated on whether or not I should ask Charlie if I could stay.

"Don't even think about it," Charlie grunted to me under his breath.

I sighed and suppressed an eye roll.

"I'll walk you to the door," Edward said as he took my hand.

Charlie and I called out quick goodbyes before Edward walked me to the door. We waited until Charlie was out of the door before we turned to each other.

"Goodnight," I said softly.

Edward's arms slid around my waist as he hunched to kiss me. His lips moved quick, sucking, teeth raking, tongue rolling. He kissed me feverishly before pulling a way with a low smack.

"I'm gonna miss you tonight," he breathed quietly.

"Try to go to bed early. And I'll come see you at practice tomorrow."

"Really?" Edward asked with a wide smile.

"Yes," I giggled.

"All right. Practice starts at 10 and ends at 3."

"Ok. I'll see you then."

"Goodnight, Bella." He gave me a tender kiss.

"Goodnight."

Charlie was waiting for me in his cruiser, his patience looking very low.

"Jeez," I chuckled when I climbed in.

"What?" I grunted.

"I was just saying goodnight," I defended.

"I didn't say anything."

We drove home talking about dinner and the cake. Charlie really enjoyed his meal, but enjoyed the scotch even more. I laughed at this.

When I got home, I played the ukulele for another hour, trying to get my rhythm down, and by midnight I was finally tucked under the covers, steadily drifting to sleep.

And then my phone buzzed from my jeans pocket.

I grumbled and rolled slowly out of bed to retrieve it. I had to read the text through blurry eyes.

_Are you awake? I can't sleep._ –Edward

_What's wrong?_ I wrote.

_Got a lot on my mind. –_Edward

_Stop thinking so much and try to sleep_, I wrote.

_Can't._ –Edward

_I keep thinking about us. About what I did to you._ –Edward

_Do you wanna come over? Charlie's asleep,_ I wrote.

_Yes_. –Edward

_Hurry_, I wrote.

Ten minutes later, Edward was texting me telling me he was outside.

I moved groggily to my window and threw it open. He was already almost to the top.

"I'm sorry I woke you," he whispered.

"I'm not," I said softly.

He stepped into my room and instantly kicked off his converse, and pulled of his hoodie. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. He smelled clean and delicious. His hair was still a little damp. I glanced down at myself. I was only wearing a blue t-shit and my panties.

"Come on," I whispered.

I gripped Edward's cold hand and pulled him towards my bed.

We climbed into my bed in silence, Edward snuggling up against my back, his arms tightly around me. I felt his lips press against my shoulder while one of his hands slid into the front of my shirt to caress the small feather nestled between my breast. I didn't sleep long because before I knew it, Edward was moving against me, sliding his erection against my butt.

I moaned and arched my back against him.

"Wake up, baby," Edward said softly as his lips brushed against my ear.

I felt a bolt of pleasure rake down my spine, into my groin. One of his hands was on my hip, forcing my butt to roll against his pelvis. I shivered again from the sensation and then angled my hips so that his dick slid against my crotch. His fingers instantly dipped into the waistband of my panties and slid them down my legs before he reached for my shirt, carefully tugging it over my head. Once I was naked, his hands were everywhere. He turned me onto my back so that he could hover over me. His kisses were desperate again, sucking my lips and tongue hungrily into his mouth while his hands kneaded my breasts.

"Touch me," I gasped between kisses.

Edward's right hand slid down my stomach to my clit. He moaned when he felt my arousal, before sliding his thick finger into me. I bucked against him, spreading my legs wider and angling them so that I could take his finger in deeper.

"You're so wet," he whispered against my mouth.

I nodded, my breath hitching when he slid a second finger into me. His hand moved slowly, pumping into me, curling upward in a come hither motion.

"Edward," I gasped. "I think I'm gonna come."

"Come for me, baby," he said softly.

And then his hand picked up speed, thrusting quickly into me, his fingers still curling. My body broke out into spasms as I constricted around him and I had to hide my face in his shoulder and bite down to keep from screaming out loud. The spring in abdomen was so tight. I forced my legs wider and forced my body to still and take it all. And then I came, exploding onto his hand and groaning hoarsely into his shoulder.

"Ow!" Edward hissed. "Bella, your teeth!"

I let my jaw fall slack and collapsed onto the pillow.

"Sorry," I gasped.

Edward chuckled softly and then turned me onto my right side.

I listened to him rummage through the bedside dresser and then felt him yank off his t-shirt and pants. I heard the familiar sound of foil tearing and then soon felt his latex covered dick slid against my ass.

"I want you," he said as he placed kisses against my shoulder blades.

His hand slid under my left leg where he pulled it up, forcing it around his left hip. And then he entered me from behind. He slid easily into me, my cum offering an incredible amount of lubrication. I hissed from the sensitivity I still felt, but didn't stop him when he began to move. He thrust into me slowly at first, kissing my neck and shoulder while his hands massaged my breasts and hips. This angle was incredible. I could feel him rubbing pleasurably against that special place, where his fingers had been moments ago.

"Shit!" I hissed between clenched teeth.

"What?" Edward asked huskily.

I couldn't speak; I was already on the verge of coming again.

Edward felt me constrict around him. His arm that lay beneath me curled up around my torso and pinned me against his chest as he picked up the pace. I sunk my teeth into a pillow this time, my hands fisting into the fabric. Edward didn't let me come down easily. He held me close, one hand over my torso, the other forcing my leg up against my side as he continued to move steadily, and very quickly, into me until he came to his release. I came a third time with him, trembling, gasping, and whining into my poor white pillow.

"Fuck," Edward gasped against my neck.

And then he eased himself out of me. I winced, already feeling sore.

I saw the glow of Edward's cell phone as he set his alarm, before he snuggled up behind me. I fell asleep instantly.

When I awoke again, it was to the sound of Edward rummaging around my room. I opened my eyes, and in the glow of the early dawn, I saw him pulling on his hoodie and shoes.

"What time is it?" I croaked.

"Just after 4."

"Is Charlie up?"

"No, he slept through the night. I don't think he heard anything."

I blanched. I wasn't sure if I was quiet as I wanted to be last night.

"I have to go," Edward murmured. "I don't want us to get caught."

"Of course." I climbed out of bed and pulled my t-shirt over my head.

"I'll see you later right?" Edward asked as he pulled my window open. "During practice?"

"Yes."

"See you soon," he said softly as he kissed me.

"Soon."

Climbing back into bed I reached down and stroked myself softly. I felt so sore down there. Even my hips hurt. But I fell back asleep with a small smile on my lips nonetheless.

I woke up again at around 9, happy to know that Charlie was already at work. I was sure he hadn't heard us last night, because I knew that he would have come barging into my room if he had. But it still didn't put my mind at ease. I felt horribly nervous, and whenever I thought about having to be face to face with him after work, I wanted to throw up on the spot.

I dressed quickly, in a similar outfit as last night, in skinny jeans, a thin black flowy cami, my black cardigan and Vans. I put in a little extra time on my hair and makeup, grabbed a water bottle and then headed out towards school at around 12. I even texted Rosalie, giving her a heads up in case she wanted to join me.

She said she would meet me there.

I got to Forks High and made my way over towards the Football field. My eyes flickered over the many jerseys and spotted Edward immediately, even though he had his helmet on. He was hovering around outside of the line of players, twirling a football around in his hands. I recognized him from the way he moved, though the number 20 on his jersey did help a little.

I saw his head turn towards me and I raised my hand, offering a small wave.

He waved back and then beckoned me over. I approached hesitantly, which caused him to jog the rest of the way towards me.

His face was dirty and sweaty, but his eyes were bright and beautiful.

"Hey you," he said as he removed his helmet.

"I brought you some water," I said shyly.

"Thanks, baby," he chuckled with a wide smile.

He leaned in and gave me a sloppy kiss, which caused me to cringe and jump away from him. I wiped his sweat from my mouth.

"Sorry," he laughed and then he took a big gulp from the water bottle.

"I'll be over here," I said, gesturing towards the bleachers.

"All right, see you in a minute."

I watched him jog back to his position while he pulled his helmet back on.

Rosalie showed up twenty minutes later wearing tight jeans and a cream sweater that hung off her right shoulder. It looked like I wasn't the only one who tried to look cute today.

"How's the game?" she asked as she took a seat beside me.

"No idea," I responded honestly.

Rosalie giggled and then threw her arms up in a wide wave towards Emmett. I could hear his booming laugh from across the field, which caused the rest of the team to turn and wave to us. I blushed and waved back.

Watching Edward practice was really boring. But still, I liked seeing him run around in his tight compression clothes and loose jersey. He was very cute and moved with such athletic grace. I found myself studying him, his stamina, his speed. I felt my body heat up every time he caught the ball that was thrown to him. He never missed and he was never caught when he ran for the touchdown. It was HOT.

After a couple of hours of watching them play and run drills, Rosalie and I busied ourselves with conversation. She wanted to plan another beach trip before the summer was over, but she really wanted it to be on a warm day.

"I have a bathing suite I want to use!" she exclaimed.

We agreed that a bonfire on first beach was our best shot, and I agreed to help her keep an eye on the weather forecast for the next few weeks. It was already nearing August and we would be starting our senior year soon.

"Are you sure you don't want to join the cheerleading squad?" Rosalie pressed. "It'll be so much fun to have you on the team."

"Yeah, because you guys would get to watch me eat dirt every week," I grumbled.

"Come on, Bella. Alice and Angela are on the team."

"Yeah, and so are Lauren and Tanya," I snapped.

"Fuck them. You should join."

"No. I'm so clumsy, Rose. I'll only embarrass myself."

"You just need to train. I can train you. I swear, getting a jog in three times a week and doing a little weight training and some cardio would make a _huge_ difference. Trust me."

"I really don't think so."

"Seriously, it does," Rosalie pressed. "And you could just be an alternate if you want. You wouldn't have to do much. You'd only have to learn the routine, but you wouldn't actually have to cheer during games, rallies or even at any of the events or anything unless someone is sick or injured. You'd only have to show up."

"Rose," I groaned.

"And you wouldn't have to worry about going to meets because Forks High has never had too great of a cheer team, so we never make it to those competitive cheerleading championships. Trust me."

She could see my resistance cracking.

"Come on, Bella. It would be fun, don't you think? Walking around in our cheer outfits, cheering your boyfriend on from the front row, right on the field…"

I sighed. I couldn't believe I was actually considering this.

"I'll think about it," I said softly.

"Tryouts are mid August. They're coming up," she squealed. "It'll be so much fun!"

"Rose," I groaned. "I said I'll think about it."

"Bella, you wont regret it. I promise."

My eyes flickered away from Rosalie's eager expression, and over to Edward. He was twirling the ball around again and watching me from across the field. He waved.

It really wouldn't be that bad being able to watch him from up close during one of his games, and it would actually be kind of nice to cheer him on. Sure, the outfit sounded pretty sucky, but not as bad as actually having to learn some routines. But Rosalie said I wouldn't actually have to cheer in public. And I would be exercising. Having some better balance and even some more stamina didn't sound too bad either.

I shifted on the bleacher. My hips were still sore.

Maybe this really wouldn't be such a bad idea.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Lol. I know this chapter is kinda short, but it'll be longer tomorrow.**

**Let me know if there's some grammatical weirdness. **

**And leave me some REVIEWS! :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	32. Chapter 32: Rosalie's Insistence

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 32: Rosalie's Insistence**

"I can't believe I'm considering this," I said to Rosalie.

I glanced over at her. She was sitting with her chin held high, a wide smile plastered across her face.

My eyes flickered back to Edward and I watched him walk with his teammates back towards the gym. It was already after 3. Practice was over.

"So what are you gonna do later?" Rosalie asked.

"I'm not sure. Edward has work at 5 so I think we're gonna hang out for a bit."

"Hang out, huh?" Rosalie swished her hips suggestively.

I rolled my eyes with a small chuckle.

We walked together towards the gym and hung out outside of the doors until the boys were finished. Mike was the first to come out, his blonde hair dripping wet into his eyes.

"Hey Mike," Rosalie and I said in unison.

"Hey," he greeted. "Did you enjoy the game?"

"Not really," I answered honestly.

"Bella is thinking about joining the cheer squad," Rosalie said triumphantly.

I glanced over at her in exasperation.

"Who's gonna join the cheer squad?" Edward had just stepped through the gym doors.

"Bella," Rosalie said with a wink.

"Seriously?" Edward asked, scrutinizing me suspiciously.

"I'm not sure yet," I sighed. "I have to think about it."

"But you're considering it?" he pressed.

"I don't know."

"Wow." Edward was watching me with wide eyes.

My gaze flickered over his wet hair to the stubble on his cheek. He was only wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, his grey hoodie draped over his shoulder.

"Want to get out of here?" he asked me.

"Yes," I said, taking his hand. "You have work in less than two hours."

"A lot can happen in two hours." Edward winked at me suggestively, making me blush.

He followed me home in his Volvo and as soon as we were through my front door, Edward pounced on me. His hands were all over my body, kneading my breasts and ass, while his tongue ravaged my mouth.

"Edward," I gasped between kisses.

"We can be fast," he mumbled excitedly as he pulled me towards the couch.

I didn't resist him. Edward yanked my shirt off, his hands instantly going to the button on my jeans. I collapsed onto the couch and raised my hips, letting him easily pull my jeans, along with my panties down my legs. As soon as I was naked, wearing only my bra, Edward kneeled down in front of me and spread my legs wide as he kissed me roughly on the lips. I pulled his shirt over his head, my hands eagerly seeking his smooth flesh.

"Lean back," Edward said huskily a he placed his large hand between my breasts.

He pushed me back so that I was leaning against the backrest while he draped my thighs over his shoulders. Edward's tongue was like magic, flicking and twirling deliciously against my clit. I threw my head back and fisted my hands in his hair as I screamed out freely into the empty house.

But he didn't let me come. He sat back on his heels and yanked his jeans down past his hips before he slid a condom onto his dick.

"I want you on top," he said before he took a seat beside me on the couch.

"Um, ok." My body trembled slightly as I climbed onto his lap.

Edward's hands slid up my thighs and over my hips. Fisting one of his hands onto my ass, he used his other to position himself beneath me. And then I slowly lowered myself onto him.

"Shit," I hissed.

I was still so sore in there; I felt my legs tremble beneath me. I didn't sink all the way down fast enough, so Edward grabbed my hips and forced his pelvis up into me. I gasped and cried out from the sudden fullness. And then we began to move.

I rocked over him slowly at first while he sucked my chest and neck. It didn't take long for the hunger I felt to start guiding my body, eagerly beckoning me to continue. I rolled my hips against him, seeking friction against my clit while Edward shifted his pelvis up, eagerly meeting my thrusts. I rode him fast, screaming out into Charlie's living room as I bounced continuously on his lap. I was sweating and gasping for hair, my body already feeling strained and exhausted, but I didn't stop. As soon as I got close and the spring in my abdomen teetered on the edge of explosion, Edward flipped us over. My weight was nothing to him as he flipped me onto my back on the sofa. He sat back on his heels and forced my knees against my chest as he pounded into me. I came instantly, exploding and constricting around him just as he came to his release.

He growled out my name as he jerked repeatedly against me, coming hard until we finally collapsed in a sweaty, trembling heap on Charlie's couch.

"Damn," Edward gasped between my breasts.

"I know," I breathed. I could feel my heart banging against his cheek.

"Are you really thinking about joining the cheer squad?" Edward asked after a minute.

"I don't know." My mind was still in a fog.

"It would be kind of cool if you did."

"Why?"

"Cause we'd get to ditch classes together, you'd ride with me on the bus to the away games. And I wouldn't mind seeing you cheer me on dressed in your little cheer outfit…"

I smiled at the thought.

"You really want that?" I asked.

"I don't know," he mumbled. "I don't really care either way… but it would be kind a cool."

I lay silent mulling things over.

"Bella, I know how you feel about being clumsy and all that, so don't do it if you're too nervous or too shy. Its just a stupid high school cheerleading squad."

"I wouldn't mind cheering you on during your games though," I said softly. "And Rose said I could be an alternate."

I felt Edward nuzzle his nose into my bra, inhaling deeply. And then he moaned softly against my skin.

His dick was still in me and as I shifted my legs, I felt that he was still hard. I shifted again, jerking my hips towards him.

He moaned again as his nose slid over my chest, his chin tugging the cup of my bra aside so that his lips could reach my nipple. I felt my legs twitch from the sensation as he began rocking against me, slowing thrusting in and out of me.

"The condom," I groaned.

"It's fine," he said against my neck.

His thrusts continued as he slid into me easily. I could feel my cum on my inner thighs and on his lower stomach as he moved against me. And then he slid down off the couch, bringing me with him so that my back leaned against the foot of the couch while I sat, straddling his waist.

"Come on baby," he said. "I want you to come again."

My eyes rolled into the back of my skull as he picked up the pace. His hands were on my ass again, forcing me up and down onto him as his hips jerked against me.

I was trembling everywhere all of my insides and my clit pulsating sensitively.

"Yes," I gasped. "I wanna come."

I threw my head back and fisted my hands into his thick, damp hair as bent and sucked hungrily onto my neck. My feet were on the ground on either side of him and I used the floor to brace myself as rocked my hips forcefully against him. I could feel it again, my climax growing achingly slow. I whimpered in desperation. I wanted it now.

"Relax, baby," Edward said softly against my neck. "It'll come. Just relax."

He slid his arms beneath my legs so that my knees were forced up against my chest again as he lifted me faster and thrust into me deeper.

"Touch yourself," he grunted in front of me.

My eyes flickered open. He was watching me through a hooded gaze, his mouth sagging open, glistening with his saliva. I reached a tentative hand down between us and stroked myself. His eyes followed my hand, watching me.

"Faster," he said. "Use your fingers."

I moved two of my fingers against myself in quick circular motion, trying to remember how Edward had done it. I was so wet, dripping all over the place, but it felt amazing. My eagerness was evident as I picked up the pace, rubbing myself quickly. And as I did so, I could feel Edward's dick brush against my fingertips as he thrust into me repeatedly.

"Shit," I gasped.

"That's it, baby," Edward said. His eyes were on me again.

I was trembling uncontrollably now. So close. So close.

"Edward," I cried. "I'm gonna come…"

He bent down and kissed me, just as I shattered around him. I came in waves, convulsing against him as I cried out. I unconsciously remembered trying to push him away from me because the sensation was too strong, almost frighteningly so. But he held onto me anyway, my strength nothing compared to his. He dropped my legs, but held me close as he moved slowly in and out of me, allowing wave after wave of pleasure to rake achingly through my entire body.

Once I came down, shivering uncontrollably in his arms, he carefully lifted me up off of him as he eased his dick out of me.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick," he said.

He placed me down on the couch before he sat up. I glanced at the condom. It was full of his cum, but luckily still snuggly on. I had read the labels on condoms before. It was stupid for us to have sex with a used one. I had to remember to talk to him about this.

My eyes flickered over the large tattoo on his side and over the hard muscle of his lower abdomen. Christ, he was so hot. I watched him gather up his pants and shirt before he quickly moved towards the stairs.

My eyes stayed trained on his naked ass. I could see the muscles clench as he walked. His butt was very round and kind of full for a guy, but perfect nonetheless. I had a sudden urge to bite it.

A half hour later, Edward and I were standing on Charlie's front porch kissing and saying our goodbyes.

"I'll text you when I'm out," he said into my hair.

"Should I come see you?" I asked.

"You don't have to. Five hours will go by fast."

"I miss you already," I murmured into his shirt.

"Me too, baby."

His hands slid up to my chin, cradling my face as he kissed my forehead, eyes, cheeks and finally my lips.

"Talk to you soon," I said.

"Soon."

I watched him climb into his Volvo and then I waved goodbye as he pulled away from the curb.

Back in the house, I quickly cleaned up the living room, making sure nothing was out of place, and there were no messy spills. I lit a candle just to be sure that the house wouldn't smell like sex, before I got started on dinner.

Steak and vegetable stir-fry with baked potatoes.

While I was in the middle of slicing the onions, I heard my phone ring. It was Rosalie.

"Hey," I said into the receiver.

"Hey," she greeted. "So, I've been going through some paperwork… oh! Is Edward still there? I can call back later."

"No, no. He left fifteen minutes ago."

"Oh. Anyway, I was going through some paperwork for cheer and there is some stuff you still need to do if you want to be on the squad. Do you wanna talk about this now? I called my coach, Samantha Wells, and she gave me a list to discuss with you before tryouts."

"Uh… all right. I mean it couldn't hurt. Do you wanna come over? I'm making dinner."

"Sure, but will Charlie be cool with that?"

"Of course," I laughed.

She laughed with me and then hung up.

Rosalie showed up about twenty minutes later, just as I got the steak and vegetables into the pan.

"So," she began, setting out some paperwork and notes in front of her on the kitchen table. "Basically it's the same with every new member. I know this because I've been on the cheer squad since the 9th grade and I'll be cheer captain senior year."

"Ok," I said as I stirred the meat and vegetables.

"That smells really good, by the way," Rosalie said, eyeing the pan.

"You can stay for dinner."

"Cool…. Anyway, so, there are some requirements before you can actually try out. You need to maintain a 2.5 GPA, have Charlie sign this parental permission form," Rosalie slid a paper out of her pile, "Have no pervious dismissals from any prior cheer squad or mascot, which I'm sure you're completely free of, and have at least two teacher recommendations." Rosalie held up two fingers.

"I guess that leaves Coach Clapp out," I said dryly.

Rosalie laughed, shaking her head.

"Anyway," she continued. "Being an alternate cheerleader isn't all that common, but Forks High has the option for one. Basically you're duties will consist of being at all of the practices and learning the cheers and dances, which I've already told you about. You'll have to pay the fifty dollars for the cheer uniform. You will have to cheer during games and stuff _if_ one of our cheerleaders is sick or absent or dismissed because of injuries. And you might be asked to run errands during practices, pep rallies, games or fundraisers. And you might even be asked to help with preparations and stuff…"

"So, I'd basically be your assistant… or, the Coach's assistant. Coach Wells?"

"Kinda," Rosalie said with a shrug.

"That doesn't sound too bad," I mused.

"It really doesn't," Rosalie said. "Its actually a pretty sweet deal. You'll have some extra curricular activities to put on your resume and you'll get a good workout in during week, but you wont really have to do too much. I think you'll like it."

"Let me think about it a little longer," I said.

I grabbed three potatoes, covered them with foil and put them in the hot oven.

"Fine, fine," Rosalie murmured as she gathered up her papers.

"How come you guys didn't cheer last year?" I asked.

"We did," she said confused.

"Not when I started school."

"Oh… it was the off season for football and our basketball team is still currently non-existent," she said. "But we did do some stuff for senior prom and during the seniors graduation. I don't think you noticed though, you were pretty out of it near the end of term."

"Right."

While I prepared a small side salad for Rosalie, Charlie and I, I thought about what being a cheerleader actually meant. I would run around with a bunch of girls I didn't like, I'd have to promote school spirit, participate in my school's events and functions and maintain some athletic abilities. All of those points were situations I was in no way interested in. I honestly didn't care that much about Forks High, and I really didn't care that much about sports. However… the few things that kept me interested was the fact that I'd be getting some good options on my resume and that I'd be able to work on the fact that I'm excruciatingly clumsy, to the point where I'm almost disabled. But most of all, I'd be with Edward more. I'd go with him to away games, I'd hang out with him during school, and I would cheer him on during the games and practices.

I smirked at my thoughts.

"Ok," I said to Rosalie. "Lets say that I did do this. Is there a chance that I'd be able to get out of it if it became too much? Like, if it's just… not for me."

"Yes. You can quit."

"That's all?" I asked surprised.

"Sure… but you wont be let back on the squad if you quit."

"Obviously," I laughed.

"You look different," Rosalie said, eyeing me. "Did you guys… have sex before he left?"

"What?" I cried out in shock. I blushed deep crimson as I turned away.

"You totally did, didn't you?" Rosalie laughed.

I rolled my eyes, but didn't answer her.

Charlie arrived home just as I was pulling the potatoes out of the oven.

"Hey, Rosalie," he greeted with a warm smile.

"Good evening, Charlie. I hope you don't mind me being here for dinner." Rosalie looked a little shy.

"Of course not," Charlie laughed. "Hey, Bell."

Charlie walked over and gave me a small kiss on the head.

"Where's Edward?" he asked.

"He's at work."

"Really?" Charlie was surprised. "Where does he work?"

"He got a job at Gathering Grounds last week," I said. "He works Sundays, and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings."

"The coffee shop? Well, good for him," Charlie said with a nod.

My eyes flickered to Rosalie and I watched her suppress a smile.

"Edward's very independent," Rosalie said. "He's been working small jobs since he was thirteen?"

"Really?" Charlie and I both asked.

"Yeah," Rosalie said. "I think his first job was at school in the administrative building. He worked in the main office answering phones for like a year, and then he worked with his dad at the hospital, another receptionist job."

"Why did he quit the hospital job?" I asked.

"Cause's he was a kid," Rosalie laughed. "And it took too much time away from school and sports. That's why he started that small entrepreneurial Landscaping, slash, Gardening job."

"Entrepreneurial?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," Rosalie said with a shrug. "He went out and bought all of the equipment and supplies he needed. He was doing that for about two years before he got the job at Gathering Grounds."

"Wow," I said surprised. "I had no idea."

"Well, you know _him_," Rosalie said with a wave of her hand. "He likes to do things himself. He doesn't really like relying on anyone."

"He's a good man," Charlie said. I could tell he was impressed.

I glanced up at him in surprise. Charlie was watching me, a small smile on his lips. He approved of Edward before, but he seemed to have grown even more respect for him now.

"So, Charlie," Rosalie began as the three of us dug into our dinner. "Bella's thinking about trying out for the Cheerleading Squad."

Charlie choked on his potato.

"Jeez, dad," I frowned. "Is it really that surprising?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "It actually is."

I rolled my eyes and looked away.

"Anyway," Rosalie continued. "She needs you to sign this form. Tryouts are coming up really soon and Bella needs to get her paperwork done if she's gonna join."

"Anyone got a pen?" Charlie asked with smirk.

"Stop," I grumbled to him.

"What did I say?"

"You don't have to say anything, I know what you're thinking. You're making fun of me."

"I am not making fun of you, Bell," Charlie laughed.

I sighed in exasperation.

"Rosalie, do you have a pen?" Charlie continued.

Rosalie handed my dad her blue pen and I watched as he signed the parental permission slip before handing it back to her.

"The uniform is gonna cost fifty dollars," I said to Charlie. "That's if I even make the team."

"You will make the team, Bella," Rosalie giggled.

After dinner, Rosalie helped me clean up a bit before I walked her out to her red Honda.

"You really should join the team, you know," she said softly. "It'll be so much fun to have you there."

"I'll think about it, Rose," I said again.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"No idea," I said.

"Wanna go to the beach and get high again? I stole some of Jasper's stash."

Rosalie gave me a wide devilish smile.

I laughed. "That sounds great, actually."

"Cool, see you tomorrow, girl."

I gave a quick wave before heading back inside.

"Cheerleading, huh?" Charlie said. He was in the kitchen popping open a beer. "Never thought I'd see that coming."

"You're telling me."

"So what brought this on?"

"Rosalie," I said. "She can be very convincing."

"Do you think you can handle it?"

I glanced up at Charlie's raised eyebrow.

"Just because I'm chronically clumsy, doesn't mean I can't be a cheerleader."

He snorted loudly into his beer.

"And anyway, I'd only be an alternate. Sure, I'll have to learn the routines and stuff, but I wouldn't actually have to cheer unless someone was sick or something."

"I think you could do it," Charlie said with a small smile. "And it'll give you the opportunity to work on your motor skills."

We both broke out into a fit of laughter at this. The idea of me ever being able to run around without tripping over myself was truly comical.

Our laughs were soon interrupted by the small buzz from my cellphone.

_Busy?_ –Edward

"Uh," I said, looking up at Charlie.

"Go ahead, kid," Charlie said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Night, dad," I smiled.

I gave Charlie a quick kiss on the cheek before I rushed upstairs to my room before dialing Edward's phone number.

"_Hey you,"_ he answered.

"Hi," I said with a smile.

"_How was your evening?"_

"Fine. Rosalie came over for dinner."

"_Nice."_

"She talked a lot about the cheer stuff."

"_Have you come to any decisions?"_

"Maybe."

"_And…?"_ he pressed.

"I'm thinking of doing it," I said softly. "I think it'll be good for me, you know? Get me out of my little awkward shell."

"_You're not awkward."_

"You're sweet."

"_I'm serious. You're definitely clumsy, but not awkward. I happen to think you're very charming."_

I giggled, my cheeks instantly heating up.

"I missed you today," I said.

"_Me too. Always."_

"How was work?"

"_Slow. Boring. I did learn how to prep some pasties though, which was nice I guess."_

"Rosalie told me you've been working since you were thirteen."

"_She did, did she?"_

"Yes."

"_And?"_

"I don't know. I guess I'm just curious about why."

I listened to him sigh. There was some shifting in the background. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost 10.

"What are you doing?"

"_Getting into bed. I'm beat."_ His voice was deep.

"Are you gonna tell me why?"

"_I've been working since I was thirteen because I don't like asking people for things. I don't like relying on Carlisle or Esme for stuff. I feel more… comfortable buying what I need on my own."_

"Why though?" I asked softly.

"_I don't know, Bella. Because they're not my real parents."_

"But they are still your family, even if they're not your biological family."

I listened to him sigh again.

"Have you always felt this way?" I asked.

"_Yes."_

"Why?"

"_Can we not talk about this now?"_ he asked gently. _"I'm really tired."_

"Sure."

We were quiet for a whole minute.

"_I have a pretty good relationship with Carlisle,"_ Edward said softly. _"He's like a friend. More of a friend than a father, really. And I'm comfortable with that. I prefer knowing that he's Emmett's dad and not mine. I don't know why I feel that way. I just do."_

"Well… what about Esme?"

"_Esme is…"_

I heard him sigh again, but this time in annoyance. I could picture him running his hands through his hair.

"_She's so… she pries too much. It makes me uncomfortable. She always trying to get me to say things or feel things, and to be honest, it makes me want to step further away. It makes me want to be less open with her. I care about her, I do. Don't get me wrong. Its just…"_

"What?"

"_She's not my mother, Bella. She doesn't make me feel the way my mother made me feel. But she tries so hard to fill the void. I don't like that. I don't want it."_

"You can accept her as a friend, like you do with Carlisle or Rosalie."

"_Maybe its cause she cares too much,"_ Edward said. _"I don't have to worry about what I say to Rosalie, but I do have to worry about what I say to Esme. She's sensitive and sees me differently than you or Rosalie do."_

I thought for a moment. I was confused by what he was saying.

"_I think it cause she's known me since… well, since the accident."_

"Yeah," I murmured.

"_But so have you. Christ, what mind-job."_

I giggled at this.

"_I like talking to you…"_ he said after a moment of silence. _"It makes me feel better."_

"Well, I'm glad," I said with a smile.

I contemplated on whether I should bring up therapy again, but I decided against it. I was afraid that he'd pull away or get angry. And to be honest, I didn't want to cause any arguments between us. Not yet. I still wanted to enjoy him as best as I could.

I had some more nightmares that night. Most of them were surrounded by lush greenery and eerie corners. But again, I ended up in Port Angeles at the concert. The college guys were there again, closing in on me. And Edward was there again, drifting away from, leaving me alone in the darkness. When I woke up, I was shaking and covered in a cold sweat. I couldn't understand what it meant.

It was only 4:30 when I woke up, but I got out of bed anyway. I didn't even want to try going back to sleep. I thought about my nightmare as I made coffee for Charlie. It was the same one I'd been having ever since the night of the concert. I didn't have it too often, only when I was stressed or something. But still, I couldn't help but assume that maybe my subconscious was trying to tell me something.

At around 6, I went back upstairs and booted up my computer. In the search engine, I typed in '_nightmares, what do they mean?_' I came across an article on decoding your nightmares and skimmed through it. As I read, I discovered that during REM sleep, your brain fires off different signals, interpreting and organizing information you gather while you're awake. Apparently my mind was bringing forth some repressed emotions. Maybe I was traumatized from what happened during the concert? I didn't feel traumatized, and I wasn't even afraid of going back to Port Angeles.

But… maybe it had something to do with Edward. Like maybe his presence had some significant underlying meaning or something.

I shut down the computer when I heard Charlie moving around down stairs.

"Bad dreams?" Charlie asked as I walked into the kitchen. He was eyeing the cup of coffee in my hands.

"Some," I answered honestly.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Not really."

"You gonna be all right home alone?" he asked.

"I'm supposed to hang out with Rose this afternoon, so I'm sure I'll be fine."

I gave Charlie a quick goodbye before I climbed upstairs to get ready. I chose my faded blue skinny jeans, my red Phoenix High School t-shirt and my black converse.

I spent the rest of the morning doing laundry and mulling over my nightmare until around noon Rosalie texted me telling me she was on her way.

I waited for her outside on my front porch.

"I'm hungry," I said as soon as I climbed into her civic.

"Let go to the market and pick up some munchies," she said with a smile. "We can eat at the beach."

"That sounds good."

We bought some chips and crackers, low fat cookies and some candy. We even stopped at the gas station to get some slushies as well.

"Angela is texting me," Rosalie informed as we walked back to her car. "She's with Alice and they want to hang out. Should I invite them?"

"If you want," I said with a shrug.

"I told them they could meet us at First Beach," Rosalie said as she stuck her phone back in her pocket.

I glanced up at her piercing blue-green eyes.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you're pissed at Angela. I would be too," she stated.

I shrugged, looking away.

"She was there and she didn't even stop Lauren from approaching you. I'm even mad at her."

"I get that it wasn't her place," I said. "Honestly, I don't even give a shit. I already don't trust Angela, so I didn't expect her to have my back. I don't even really consider her my friend. She's just… someone I hang out with. That's all."

We climbed silently into her car and headed towards La Push.

"So who exactly is on the team?" I asked, taking a deep gulp from my slushy.

"Well, there's supposed to be six for the football team and six for the basketball team. However, because our school is so small and the basketball team has practically dissolved into nothing, we now have a total of 8 girls. There used to be twelve."

"And who are the eight?"

"There's me, Alice, Angela, Tanya, Lauren, Kate, Irina, Brie and… you. So, nine. There may be more after tryouts, though. I think the school can afford up to thirteen if we want."

"Huh," I mused. "I don't think I've ever met Irina or Brie."

"Yes you have," Rosalie said, matter-of-factly. "They hang out with Lauren and Tanya. Irina is short with chin length blonde straight hair."

"Oh, yeah. I think I've seen her at the bonfires."

"Right. We don't hang out with her at school. She's cool though and nothing like Lauren, don't worry."

"I thought you didn't really know Lauren that well," I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't. But from I know of her now, Irina is way more chill."

I laughed. "What about Brie?"

"Brie is cool, but a bit of a party animal. She's small with long dark hair."

"Not sure," I said.

"Well, you'll meet her eventually."

We arrived to First Beach, gathered up our food, the small pink blanket, the weed and our slushies and made our way over to the spot we'd chosen last time.

"Its kind of nice out today," Rosalie said as she peered up at the sky.

It really was. It was a little cold, but thankfully dry and not too windy.

We made ourselves comfortable and instantly filled Jasper's pipe before lighting it and passing it back and forth. After three hits, the weed already started to take effect.

"Its strong," Rosalie choked.

"I know," I agreed.

I took one more hit and then turned to the food.

"I keep having those nightmares," I said softly. "I had one last night."

I knew I didn't really have to explain to Rosalie. She knew what I was talking about.

"Do you have 'em every night?" she asked nervously.

"No, no. Only sometimes. Like, I don't know. On occasion."

"Are you stressed out about something? I hope it's not this whole cheerleading thing."

"No, it's not the cheerleading."

"But you are stressed then," she stated.

I glanced up at her. Her eyes were pink and her pupils were a little dilated, but her gaze was steady.

"I'm worried about Edward," I whispered.

Recognition fell across her face.

"I know," she said.

"You do?"

She nodded. "But he's finally doing better, Bella. That's a good thing."

"What do you mean, Rose?"

"He used to be a lot worse," she said. "So much more reserved. You can't even imagine. He's so different now. He's actually honestly happy."

"You don't think he was happy before?"

"I assumed he was, but the boy can put on a good show. He's good at hiding his feelings and the truth only comes out when he's like… really comfortable, you know what I mean? He didn't start opening up to me until we were almost teenagers. And he still doesn't completely. He… chooses who he tells certain things to. He'll tell me something that he wont tell Jasper or Emmett, yet he'll tell Emmett things he wont tell me or Jasper. You get where I'm going with this?"

I nodded, looking away.

"But he trusts you Bella, I can tell."

"Esme thinks we should try talking to him about seeing a psychiatrist," I mumbled.

I heard Rosalie gasp.

"What?" I asked.

She shook her head slowly, her eyes trained on mine.

"What, Rose?" I pressed.

"You really need to think that over before you talk to him about it…"she said. "You need to be careful. He doesn't have too many good experiences with that."

"But he's done it before?"

"Well…" I watched her eyes shift over my face, contemplating on whether she should tell me or not.

"I think I have the right to know," I urged.

She nodded at me. "Well, Edward used to get into fights a lot when we were little. At school and stuff. I think it was his way to let his anger out or something. Our teacher called a meeting with his parents and told them that she thought it would be wise for Edward to seek therapy. Carlisle and Esme had him meet with a doctor a couple of times a week, but it didn't help. The only thing Edward ever told me about that was that the doctor tried to erase his mind. He said that he didn't want to forget. He wanted to remember them… his parents. So, after a few years, with very little progress, Carlisle let Edward drop out of therapy."

I shook my head. What an irresponsible thing to do.

"But Bella," Rosalie continued. "He seems to be doing better now. He has you and me and Emmett. He has us."

"Yeah, but we're not doctors. We can only help him so much. He's still afraid of people Rosalie. There are still some… internal demons he's fighting. I can see it."

Rosalie sighed, looking away.

"I think you're right," she said.

"I am right."

"So what do we do?"

She gazed back at me. I could see the sadness I felt mirrored in her gaze.

"I don't know…" I said honestly. "But I need to figure it out."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**How do you guys feel about Bella joining the cheer squad? Lol Let me know. If most of you disapprove, she can always back out. I have some stuff already written about her experiences, but they can be tweaked. (Though, I have to say, Bella being a cheerleader would be pretty hilarious, don't you think? Idk, I figured it would be pretty awesome to have a clumsy girl on the squad. Poor girl.)**

**I'm going to keep the next couple of chapters a little light, but I guarantee you there will be some… trouble coming up. There isn't too much left to the story. I don't really know how many chapters are left, but we are getting closer to the end. Yikes! **

**Also, I haven't been getting too many reviews lately and I'm wondering if some of you have lost interest. :( I still seemed to be getting followers and readers, but only a handful of you guys are leaving reviews. :( I'm sad, but I'll continue to write until the end.**

**To those of you who have left reviews, I read each and every one of them. I'm sorry I haven't responded recently, I've mostly been spending my time editing the chapters and drafts. But please know that I love reading what you guys have to say. So many of you make me laugh. lol**

**Anyway… Till next time. xoxo**


	33. Chapter 33: The Routine

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 33: The Routine**

"Hey, guys!"

I glanced up to see Alice and Angela approach.

Rosalie and I shuffled around nervously, like two toddlers caught with a jar of cookies.

"Relax," I hissed to Rosalie. I really should have been speaking to myself.

"Sorry, I'm high," she said nervously.

"I know. Me too. Lets just… drop the subject. For now, anyway."

I cleared my throat just as Alice laid out a small yellow blanket beside me.

"Hi, Bella," she greeted.

Alice threw her arm around my shoulders giving me a small hug.

I smiled and patted her back softly.

"Where's the weed," Angela immediately asked.

I suppressed an eye roll. I watched her rub her hands greedily together as her eyes darted between Rosalie and me. Rosalie eventually withdrew the pipe from her sweatshirt pocket and handed it over to Angela.

"So, we heard you're trying out for the squad," Angela said as she lit up.

"You heard?" I asked skeptically with a glance in Rosalie's direction.

"Yeah," Angela continued. "Coach Wells told us. Alice and I passed by her office this morning to turn in some paperwork. She told us to expect some tryouts in a little over two weeks and she also said that an Isabella Swan is being highly recommended."

I blushed.

"Highly recommended, huh?" I muttered in Rosalie's direction.

She shrugged unapologetically.

"Honestly, I don't want anyone else to be our alternate. I want you to make the cut."

I rolled my eyes.

"So, have you turned in your paperwork yet?" Angela continued.

"Not yet," I responded.

"You should. Tryouts are getting close. Have you gone over the routine?"

"Routine?" I felt my stomach churn nastily.

"Yeah. It's really short and simple, just to see how coordinated you are and if you can take direction well. Its basically meant to quickly test your abilities."

"Great," I mused sarcastically.

"Yeah," Rosalie agreed. At least she had the balls to look sympathetic. "I forgot to mention the routine. We can go over some of it now, if you'd like."

"Sure," I said getting up. "Nothing like a little _cush_ to get you in the mood for some cartwheels."

Alice was the only one to laugh at my sarcasm.

"Its really easy," Rosalie said again. "Our squad isn't too awesome in the gymnastics department, so don't start freaking out."

"Sure, sure. Just get on with it."

I watched Rosalie get to her feet and take a few steps away from the blankets. She stood for a few seconds, her hands balled into small fists at her sides, and then she began.

"Five, six, seven, eight…"

The routine was less of a gymnastics number and more like a stiff dance with a lot of hip shakes, firm arm gestures, small kicks, some hair flipping and loud smacks when her hands hit her jean covered thighs. I couldn't suppress the cackles that erupted through me. The entire thing was completely comical, and the wide smile on her face just added to the ridiculousness of it.

"What's so funny?" Rosalie asked as she continued her choppy routine.

"I don't even know," I giggled.

"Come on, Bells. Try it before you make fun of it," Rosalie said with a smirk.

Maybe it was because I was high, but I eagerly agreed to the challenge. I watched Rosalie run through the routine two more times before I began to follow her. It was fairly easy to remember because it was mostly just a pattern, and there wasn't too much footwork either. I had to step here and there, twist here, turn to the left, then to the right. The easiest part was getting the routine down by memory; however, the hardest part was actually getting my body to cooperate.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Angela commented smugly from the rug.

I glanced down at her. Her face was twisted in a condescending smirk.

_Fuck her_, I thought. _I'll get this._

I stumbled through my second try, unable to keep up with Rosalie and by the time I had gone through the routine five more times, I was out of breath and feeling incredibly exhausted.

"Where's my slushy?" I gasped, collapsing onto Rosalie's pink blanket.

"Damn, you have very little stamina," Angela commented.

Her mouth was bigger than her head.

"Jesus Christ," I snapped. "Shut up already."

I glanced around and the three pair of surprised wide eyes.

"Defensive much?" Angela retorted.

"There's only so much teasing I can take," I defended. I felt like a small child again.

For the next hour, I talked with Rosalie, Alice and Angela about the routine. The three of them agreed that starting tomorrow I should start practicing for tryouts and really try to at least get the rhythm down so that I have less of a hard time performing with others.

"Its all about time," Alice said. "You just have to keep time in your head while you move. One, two, three, four…" she counted as she snapped her fingers in time.

"I got it," I said. "But it's not trying to keep time that I'm worried about. It's my feet and my body. I'm so uncoordinated."

"You just need to practice," Rosalie offered. "It's really not that hard. You just need to practice and watch your steps. Just think of it like a math problem. If you move your arm to the left, you need to move your leg to the right to keep from toppling over. Its all about balance."

"Will you guys have to tryout too?" I asked, switching the subject away from me.

"Yes," Alice answered. "Every year. But it's easy for us because we've been doing it for so long."

"Don't get cocky," Rosalie interjected. "You saw what happened with Irina. When Brie came in for tryouts last year, she almost took Irina's spot because she was so good."

"That can happen?" I asked, surprised.

"Anything can happen."

"You really should start exercising, though," Angela added.

I caught her eyes drifting up and down my body.

"You're not very flexible and you obviously have no muscle definition. If you want to make the team, you need to work out and take your body seriously."

I stared at Angela in mock surprise. "No way," I gasped. "I'm actually going to have to start working out."

Angela gazed at me in obvious annoyance.

"This isn't a joke," she said. "Cheerleading is a big deal and it takes some commitment."

I rolled my eyes at her.

"Lets go," I said to Rosalie. "Edward will be out of practice soon."

We gave Alice and Angela a couple of quick goodbyes before we gathered up our slushies and blanket and headed back towards the car.

"Angela's a bitch," I said under my breath. "What's her problem? She used to be cool."

"Are you sure about that?" Rosalie asked.

We giggled in unison.

"I saved a snickers," I said as we climbed into the car. "Want half?"

"Is that a serious question?" Rosalie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Gimme that!"

She snatched the opened candy bar from my hand and took a large bite. And with a mouth full of chocolate, we set off back towards Forks.

We arrived at school fifteen minutes later, just as the boys made their way through the parking lot towards their cars. I spotted Edward instantly. He was walking with Mike and Emmett, laughing and running his hand through his hair. My eyes drifted over the length of him. The way his shoulders and hips swayed lazily as he moved.

"Hey!" Rosalie called out. She even honked her horn at them.

They all paused with wide smiles on their faces as she pulled up close to Edward's car.

"What are you ladies up to?" Emmett asked.

"Not much. Just girl talk," Rose said with a wink.

I watched as Edward approached my window.

"May I steal my girlfriend away for an hour?" He asked as he bent down to kiss me through the open window.

"I guess…" Rosalie said with mock annoyance.

"I'll call you later," I giggled.

"Don't forget. We're gonna get up bright and early tomorrow. You need to start practicing."

I laughed and rolled my eyes as I followed Edward towards his car.

"Come on, boys," Rosalie said. "I'll give you a ride home."

I climbed into Edward's Volvo without another glance back towards our friends.

"So what are we gonna do?" I asked with a smile. I felt butterflies flap excitedly in my tummy and I even blushed a little with anticipation.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked with a small laugh.

I glanced up at him and saw that he was scrutinizing my pink cheeks curiously.

"Nothing. I'm just… excited."

"About what?"

"No idea."

"All right," he laughed. "Well, do you want to go to my place? No one's home."

"Sure," I smiled again.

"So I hear you're gonna start practicing tomorrow," Edward said as he peeled out down the road towards his house.

"Yeah, that's the plan. Rose thinks it'll be a good idea if I get started on the routine sooner rather than later."

"It seems that cheerleading is looking like a for-sure thing now," he commented.

"I guess so. I tried out the routine today and it wasn't so bad."

"Cool."

"Yeah. I mean, I can do all of the footwork, which is surprising, but it is more like a dance than an actual cheerleading drill. I am, however, gonna have to work a lot on my rhythm."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. I've seen you dance."

I blushed deep crimson. "No you haven't."

"Yes. I've danced with you more than just a couple of times," he argued.

"When we dance, _you_ do all of the dancing for us. All I have to do is let you hold me and move me around."

"True," he shrugged.

I chuckled in response.

"How was practice?" I asked.

"Fine. Busy. Coach Clapp is pushing us harder now that school is gonna start soon."

"I know. Are you excited about your senior year?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "I'm more excited about your birthday."

I glanced up at him in surprise.

He was staring down at me, that beautiful crooked smile playing at the edge of his lips.

"How… how did you know?"

"I have my ways," he said, looking away.

"Well, it's over a month away."

"But it's still coming. Are you excited?"

"Not really."

"Why not?" He looked at me confused.

"I don't really like… you know, being the center of attention. You know that."

Edward looked away.

"What?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he responded, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

"You had a look."

"Did I?"

"Yes."

Edward glanced at me again, and then shrugged, letting the topic drop.

We arrived at his house and climbed the stairs to his room in silence. And once we were where there, I watched him drop his gym bag and collapse onto his bed. It was the first time he didn't even bother tidying up first.

"Sore?" I asked as I moved towards him.

"A little," he sighed.

He was watching me remove my zip-up hoodie.

"You look so hot," he said. "I love when you wear those little t-shirts."

His right hand drifted from behind his head, down his torso and then over the growing bulge in his pants. I watched him palm himself slowly as his gaze flickered over my breasts and down to my pelvis.

"Turn over," I said. "Onto your stomach."

"Why?" His eyes were still on my crotch.

"I'm gonna give you a massage."

Edward dropped his hand before he turned slowly over onto his tummy. I heard him release a small groan of pain.

I climbed carefully over him, sitting myself down onto his butt as I began. His back was hot and still a little damp from his shower. I rubbed my thumbs up along his spine, towards the muscles over his shoulder blades. He was very tense, but the smooth mounds of muscle relaxed beneath my firm touch.

"That feels good," he moaned into his white pillow.

I worked hard for about five minutes, kneading his shoulders and the broad muscle just over his ribcage.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he said into the pillow. "But I'm kind of excited about you trying out for the cheer squad."

"Why?" I asked curiously as I moved my palms down to the muscle right above his butt.

"Cause, with being busy with school and practice and work, I feel like I won't get to see you enough. But if you're on the team, then I'll be able to see you during practice or before and after the games. We'll get to spend more time together during and outside of school."

"Take your shirt off," I said in a low voice.

Edward hesitated for a moment before he quickly struggled out of his army green t-shirt.

His skin was so smooth and so warm, a few shades darker than my hands. I let my fingernails rake over his shoulders, over the sides of his round arms and then down his back. I felt him shiver beneath me. I could see his boxer-briefs peaking out from his dark jeans. He was wearing a pair of grey Calvin Klein today.

"Turn over," I said. My voice was a little raspy with tension.

He shifted slowly and carefully, twisting beneath me until he lay flat on his back. His arms were out at his sides, his fingers twitching slightly. I let my eyes travel over his naked abs and chest before I finally looked up into his face. His expression was relaxed, but I could see a slight blush gathering up his neck and cheeks. His breathing was a little heavier now and less controlled. And his eyes; they stared back at me green and dazzling with dilated pupils.

I let my hands slide over his ribs and down his pelvis before coming to a stop on the button of his jeans. I hadn't planned this, but I knew I was ready. I wanted to make him feel good.

I undid the button and pulled the zipper down very slowly. I felt his hips twitch slightly, involuntarily. And then I carefully tugged his jeans down his hips. The bulge of his underwear was slightly threatening, especially since I was so close to it. But taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and then pulled the waistband of his underwear down past his hips and away from his hard dick.

Being face to face with it was something I knew I would never get used to. It was a few shades darker than his hips and chest and had a few veins running through it. And it was big, huge, alarmingly so.

"Bella," Edward gasped softly.

I glanced up at him, realizing that I had been starring at _it_ for probably way too long.

"I want to make you feel good," I said. I almost didn't recognize my own voice. I sounded dazed, my voice soft and dripping with hunger.

I lifted my t-shirt over my head and then removed my bra. Edward's eyes zeroed in on my exposed nipples and I watched him lick his lips greedily.

And then I took him into my hand. His dick was hard and hot and smoother than I imagined. I realized that after sleeping with him so many times, I never actually took the opportunity to really pay attention to what he felt like, though I had been this close to it before, many times even.

I slid my hand up to the head, gathering up some of his precum before sliding my fist down to the base. Edward let out a low choked groan, obviously pleased with my touch. And then I quickly wet my lips and took him into my mouth.

"Bella," he gasped again, more forcefully now.

But I ignored him. He tasted kind of salty, probably from the precum, and a little tangy. His skin was smooth on my tongue, just as smooth as it felt in my hand.

I worked him slowly around the head, unable to get passed my gag reflex as I tried to take him in deeper. But he didn't seem to mind. His hands roamed up my arms and over my cheek as I sucked him eagerly.

"Baby, that feels so good," he whimpered, urging me to continue.

A couple of times he would jerk his hips towards me, seeking more of my mouth around him. But every time I was forced to suppress a gag, choking slightly as my eyes dripped with tiny tears.

I worked the rest of his length with both of my hands, using the saliva that pooled from my mouth as lubrication. He didn't last long.

"Fuck, baby. I'm gonna come," he whined.

One of his hands fisted in my hair while the other gripped the loose blanket beside his hip. I sucked harder and faster, struggling to breathe through my nose as my hands worked feverishly on the rest of him. And then he came.

I retched as the first squirt hit the back of my throat and instantly pulled away. But I wasn't quick enough. His cum shot out a few more times, landing once on my face before settling on his stomach and my hands.

"Sorry," I croaked, feeling embarrassed that I couldn't control my annoying gag reflexes.

"Its ok, baby," Edward gasped. I was happy to see that his eyes were closed.

I watched his stomach and chest tremble slightly from his orgasm before I brushed the lingering tears away from my eyes and the cum off of my cheek and chin.

"Did that… feel good?" I asked nervously.

"Very good," he responded with a lazy grin.

I smiled triumphantly and then rushed to the bathroom to clean my hands and the cum from my mouth. I wasn't necessarily grossed out by it, but the feel of his cum coating my tongue and the back of my throat was too foreign for me to immediately get used to. I rinsed my mouth hastily, grabbed a small washcloth and then walked quickly back to his side, covering my bare breasts with one arm.

Edward took the damp towel from me and quickly cleaned himself up.

"Thank you," he said almost shyly.

"You don't have to thank me," I said with a smile. "I wanted to do it."

"Why?"

"Because I like you… and I've never done it before."

Edward laughed at this, settling back into his pillows. I watched him pull up his underwear and jeans, leaving them unbuttoned for now.

"Come here," he groaned, opening his arms to me.

I reached for my t-shirt, but Edward stopped me.

"Leave it off," he said. "I want to feel you."

I climbed into his bed, resting my cheek against this chest as he curled his arms around me, holding me against him. My eyes flickered to his wall-length window, only partially covered by the long drapes. We stayed like that for the next half hour listening to each other breathe and watching the bright yellow sun go down behind the trees.

My eyes flickered to the clock on his bedside table. It was 4:20pm.

"I don't want you to go to work," I murmured against his chest.

Edward chuckled in response. I knew he didn't want to go either; he was enjoying the last few minutes he had with me before he had to get up for work. His hands gently stroked down my back, my shoulders and my arms until 4:30 rolled around and he was forced to get up. I followed suit, pulling on my t-shirt and sweatshirt, while purposely leaving my bra behind for him, and pulling on my shoes.

"Come over tonight, once Charlie is asleep," I said as Edward drove me home. "I want to be with you."

"I don't know, Bella. I'm gonna be really tired," Edward said with a frown.

"Oh, ok. That's fine then."

"I'll call you when I get home though."

"Sure."

We were silent until he pulled into Charlie's driveway.

"I'll call you later," he said as he leaned in to nuzzle my hair.

I smiled against his touch and turned to kiss him.

My tongue swept against his pouty lips before he parted them, letting me in. He kissed me feverishly for a moment, sucking and moaning until I finally pulled away.

"You're going to be late," I said against his lips.

"I don't care," he responded.

His hands drifted over my breast, stomach and down between my legs were he palmed my crotch. I gasped, jerking against him. I heard Edward unbuckle his belt before he leaned in closer to me.

"Stop," I said half-heartedly.

"I don't want to stop."

His hand worked harder, seeking a reaction from me. I moaned and rocked hips forcefully against his palm.

"Baby, you're so horny," Edward said. His voice sounded amused.

I nodded in response. Yes, I was horny and I wanted to come.

"Stop teasing me," I whimpered as his lips dipped to suck my jugular.

I let my head fall back as my heart rate picked up. I felt Edward unbuckle my jeans and slip his hand into my panties. I spread my legs wide for him, and then smiled when I heard him groan in reaction to how wet I'd become.

His fingers dipped into my pussy, gathering up my arousal before he circled my clit. I jerked and gasped beneath him, overwhelmed by the sensation of his mouth on my neck while his fingers worked magically over my groin. His hand moved fast and eager and before I knew it, I was coming… hard.

I felt my body bow in on itself as I cried out into his car. My hand instantly fisted over the wrist of his jerking hand in my pants. I cried out again, my orgasm coming in waves as Edward's hand relentlessly worked me into oblivion.

"Please," I cried. "I can't…"

Edward's free hand pulled my face towards his so that he could stick his tongue into my mouth before he pulled his hand out of my pants.

"You have to go inside," he said against my wet lips. "I'm gonna be late."

I nodded, watching him wipe his wet fingers over his jeans as I turned and climbed dizzily out of his car.

"I'll call you later, baby," he said to me.

"Ok," I responded.

He watched me walk to the front porch before he pulled out of the driveway and headed to work.

Inside the house, I heated up some leftovers for Charlie before I went upstairs to take a quick shower. Charlie came home at around 7. We ate together at the kitchen table with very little conversation and then I excused myself and headed to bed early.

In my room, I spent an hour putting away books and clothes before I eventually climbed into bed. I thought about Edward as I settled in. I thought about his kisses, the touch of his skin, his deep smooth voice. And then my thoughts drifted to my conversation with Rosalie that afternoon. She had told me a lot about Edward's past, and his experiences with coping with the loss of his parents. Anger flooded through me once again when I thought about how irresponsible Esme and Carlisle were. They should have helped him more when he was younger. I knew that it was going to be difficult to get an eighteen-year-old man to agreeably seek psychiatric help.

I rolled my eyes, thoroughly pissed off.

And then my phone beeped.

I glanced at the clock. It was already after 10.

_Is Charlie asleep?_ –Edward

I smiled to myself and quickly got out of bed. I opened my bedroom door and glanced around. The lights were off and I could hear Charlie snoring in his room.

_Yes_, I wrote. _He's asleep._

_I'm coming over. Keep an eye out for me._ –Edward

I closed my phone and rushed to my window. He arrived a minute later. I watched his Volvo drive by and then soon saw him jog across the front lawn towards my window. I pulled the glass open and watched him climb up.

"Hey," Edward said with a small chuckle.

He smelled like coffee, though he was now dressed in basketball shorts and a hoodie.

"So you decided to come after all?" I hissed.

"I missed you. What can I say?" He gave me a knowing smile.

I rolled my eyes and pulled him towards my bed.

He snuggled up behind me like usual and I drifted to sleep with the feel of his lips on my shoulder while his fingers played with the small feather on my chest.

Edward left the next morning at around 5:30, an hour later than usual. I felt guilty when I watched him climb out of my window, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," I moaned softly. "I wont make you come over so late anymore."

"I wanted to come," he argued.

"I know, but look at you. You're exhausted and you have work and practice to get through."

"I'll get a couple more hours of sleep in before practice. No biggie."

I frowned.

But he smiled and leaned in to give me a quick kiss before he departed.

I watched him walk lazily across the lawn towards his car, kicking myself for not telling him to just go home last night.

Rosalie called me at around 9, eagerly suggesting a quick jog before practice. I laughed at her enthusiasm, but agreed nonetheless.

"Can I run in my Vans?" I asked. "I don't own any running shoes."

"_Are you serious?"_ she gasped over the phone. _"How do you not own at least one pair of running shoes?"_

"Uh… because I've never needed them before."

"_You're hopeless. Ok, I guess Vans will have to do."_

"See you soon," I giggled, hanging up.

I tied my hair up into a messy bun, pulled on a tank top, a hoodie and a pair of tights and my Vans before heading down stairs to grab a water bottle. I found myself actually feeling pretty excited about the whole cheerleading thing. At first, I was scared out of my mind and knew that I would probably make a fool out of myself, but I couldn't help feeling somewhat... _eager_ to just go for it, rather than reject the opportunity because of my chronic clumsiness and lack of coordination.

Rosalie showed up twenty minutes later, decked out in matching Puma gear. She wore a hotpink sports bra, a black tank, jogging pants, a matching jacket, and some running shoes, her hair pulled back in a clean ponytail. She looked ready for the Olympics.

"This is gonna suck," I said, eyeing her outfit.

"We need to take you shopping," she said, eyeing mine as well.

We took it slow for my first day, jogging once around my block, but that was all I needed to be out of breath.

"That's enough for me," I gasped.

"Are you serious? You run like a crippled person," Rosalie criticized.

"Shut up. I've never really jogged a day in my life."

Rosalie raised a critical eyebrow.

"Ok, that's not true," I retorted. "But still. I don't jog for _fun_, and I barely have any muscle in my body."

"We'll, we've got to turn that around."

I sighed deeply.

"We can use the school gym to practice," Rosalie continued. "Let's go."

She pulled into the school parking lot and together we made our way over to the large gym. The schoolyard was completely deserted. My eyes flashed around nervously seeking out the dark corners.

"What's your problem?" Rosalie asked.

"Nothing," I responded. "You never get creeped out being at school when no one's here?"

"No."

"Well, I do. Its freaky."

"We live in Forks. What could happen?"

"Anything could happen," I said, sounding a little paranoid now.

"You're so retarded," Rosalie laughed.

She pushed the gym door open and we climbed the steps up to the indoor basketball court. There were a few pads laid out as well as some stacked up along one of the walls.

"Was someone in here?" I asked, glancing around.

"Some people come in here to workout," Rosalie said. "They don't always put shit away."

"Oh."

Rosalie and I sat on one of the pads and started to stretch.

"We need some music," I commented.

I watched Rose pull out her phone and set a playlist for us. Rosalie was really into contemporary pop music. Her playlist consisted of Adele, Katy Perry and various other artists I was unfamiliar with.

"It's been said and done," Rosalie sang softly to herself. "Every beautiful thought's been already sung. And I guess right now here's another one, so your melody will play on and on…"

"Who's this?" I interrupted.

"Selena Gomez and the Scene.".

"Who's that?"

"The girl from the Disney Channel," Rosalie said matter-of-factly.

"Oh." I grimaced. I was way out of the loop. "I need to listen to the radio more often," I murmured.

"You really do. All you listen to is classic rock and that Van Morrison crap."

"Its not crap," I argued.

"Well, it's not cool either."

I laughed.

"Ok, enough bullshit," she said, getting to her feet. "Let's do this."

Rosalie switched to another song on her playlist.

"This is a remix of Gwen Stefani's, _What You Waiting For?"_

"Ok," I said with a small nod.

"This is the song you'll be dancing to during tryouts," Rosalie explained. "Five, six, seven, eight…"

She began the routine from the top, taking it slow so that I could keep up with her and learn the moves.

It was easier for me this time around, especially with Rosalie's encouraging comments. She kept reminding me to swish my hips more or to keep my arms tight and straight. My fingers had to remain pointed, as well as my toes when I jumped or kicked.

"You're really not that bad," she commented, seconds before I jumped and then stumbled on my own feet.

I fell hard on my ass, which caused us both to burst out laughing at my expense.

"Yeah, right," I laughed.

"No, seriously," she said. "You just need some cleaning up. You've got the routine down. You just need to work on your form."

We spent the next three hours going over different sections of the routine. Arms up, ball fists, arms down, 90-degree angle. Turn to the left, arms out, feet forward, knees bent. Turn to the right, arms out, butt out, hands down, slap thighs, swish ponytail. Face forward, pop chest, pop butt, point to the left, point to the right, slap thighs. Snap fingers, circle wrist, step back, step back… one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… And every time I redid a step, I got better and better at keeping my time and keeping my balance without tumbling over my own feet. And as I continued, I found I was actually enjoying myself…

"Look at your watch now!" I sang as I pointed and swished my hips. "You're still a super hot fe-male!"

"Yeah!" Rosalie cheered me on. "Go girl!"

"You got your million dollar con-tract!" I sang as I turned, arms up, balled fists, point toe, step back. "And they're all waiting for your hot-track!"

The loud slam from the heavy gym door sounded through the room and I jumped, momentarily stumbling over my feet!

"Daaaammmnnnn, Bella!" Tyler's voice echoed through the gym.

I stumbled again, sideways, but luckily Rosalie caught me around the shoulders.

Tyler, Edward and Kirk had just made their way through the gym door, looking dirty and sweaty in their compression clothes and hoodies.

I blushed red-hot, diverting my eyes from Edward.

"Not bad, girl," Tyler continued. "I've never seen you dance before."

"Shut up, Tyler," I snapped defensively.

My eyes finally flickered to Edward's. His gaze was unwavering as it drifted over me, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"Hey, Peeping-Tom's. How long have you guys been there?" Rosalie asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

"A while..."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Lol Tell me what you think so far. I tried to make the tryouts routine as innocent as possible. The harder stuff will come later. **

**I got so many reviews! Haha Aww, you guys. :') Thank you. I'm happy to see that so many of my readers are still with me. Yes! *high-five* Stay with me, guys!**

**Also! I want to take this time to welcome all of you who have just started reading. Many of you said you've just begun only a few days ago and got through the first 30-odd chapters in only a couple of days. AWESOME! Welcome. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying yourselves so far! I'm happy to have you. :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	34. Chapter 34: Cheerleading Tryouts

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 34: Cheerleading Tryouts**

"A while?" I snapped. "You guys were watching for a _while_?"

I folded my arms over my chest, covering the sweat that lingered on the neck of my tank top.

"We didn't want to disturb you," Tyler defended.

"Fuck that," I retaliated.

"Why so defensive?" Kirk interjected. "You looked hot."

"And clumsy," Tyler added with a chuckle.

"Leave her alone, assholes," Edward said with a deep drone.

I watched him push roughly passed his two friends as he made his way over to me.

"Don't be so upset," he said. "You were doing fine..."

"So you thought it would be cool to watch with your buddies like a bunch of creeps?" I said, fuming.

"We weren't trying to be creepy, Bella. We just happened to show up at the right… or _wrong_ time."

"Whatever," I snapped turning away.

"You looked good," he murmured into my ear. "I'm honestly a little impressed."

"Now you're just teasing me."

"I'm not teasing you, baby. I'm being honest."

I turned to glance at him over my shoulder.

Edward was slowly backing away from me, heading towards his friends who were now waiting by the gym doors carrying a couple of mats.

"I'll see you after practice," I said.

I watched as he kissed his fist before turning and flowing the boys out through the doors.

"He's right, you know," Rosalie said. She was standing a few feet behind me. "You really weren't doing too bad."

I glanced at her.

"And you need to get used to guys watching you practice. It's gonna happen more often than you think."

"Let's keep going," I said angrily. "I wanna make the team."

"Why?" she asked after a moment of hesitation.

"What?"

"Why now? Where did this sudden motivation come from?"

"I guess I'm just tired of being the clumsy girl."

"And?"

"And… I'm actually having a little fun." A small smile escaped my lips.

"I fucking knew it," Rosalie laughed. "I knew it! See? Cheerleading can be fun if you do it with the right people. Come on, say it! I was right!"

"Ok, ok. You were right."

"Thank you…"

I watched Rosalie march, chin held high, towards her iPhone to restart the song.

"And…" She said as she turned towards me. "Five, six, seven, eight!"

I decided to meet Edward back at Charlie's after practice. After five odd hours of going over the cheerleading tryouts routine, I was incredibly exhausted and already feeling my sore muscles settling in. And I had a really bad headache. Rosalie told me that people who don't exercise very often sometimes get migraines triggered from vigorous exercise. Apparently it was proof that I had never actually worked out a day in my life.

"I need a hot bath," I murmured to myself as I lay spent on Charlie's sofa.

It was only 2. Edward wouldn't be here for another hour.

I kicked off my Vans and pulled off my hoodie. I was covered in sweat and I could smell the excess salt on my body. Gross. I hated sweating.

I turned on the television and flipped through some channels. I must have dozed because before I knew it, there was a soft knock on the front door.

I woke with a start, my heart hammering hard in my chest. I sat up a little too quickly, tripped over my sprawled Vans and stumbled into the living room wall.

"Shit!" I hissed when my shoulder made contact.

"Bella?" Edward called softly.

He didn't wait for a response before he let himself in.

I was already on my knees on the floor, nursing my injured shoulder while my head spun from the sudden blood rush.

"What happened?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I tripped."

"No surprise there. Are you hurt?"

"I hit my shoulder against the wall."

Edward crouched down beside me, inspecting the bruise that began to form. He brushed his fingers very carefully over the growing lump.

"Do you want some ice?" he asked softly.

"No… but a bath would be nice," I murmured.

"A bath, huh?"

"Yes. I smell."

"No you don't."

I sniffed my tank top.

"I smell like sweat," I argued.

Edward rolled his eyes and stood up.

I tried to follow, but couldn't. My legs buckled beneath me.

"Uh… A little help?" I held my hands out.

Edward took them without hesitation and quickly pulled me to my feet.

I released a low groan of pain. My thighs were burning from the inside out.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, eying my shoulder.

"My legs…" I whimpered. "I'm so sore."

"From one day of practice?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, they're on fire."

"May I please carry you to the bathroom, my love? I don't want said thighs to cause you any more pain."

"Sarcasm isn't allowed in this house," I snapped.

"You're sarcastic all the time," he argued back.

"I live here."

"Ok then, Bella, do you want me to help you get to the bathroom?"

"Fine…" I said with a sigh. And then I giggled loudly when Edward scooped me up into his arms and carried me up the stairs.

He placed me down on the toilet before turning towards the tub and setting the water for me. I watched him twist the knobs around before testing the water with his fingertips. My eyes flickered over his muscular arms.

"Can I watch?" he asked, glancing at me from over his shoulder.

"I guess so." I felt myself blush beneath his gaze.

"I can leave if you're uncomfortable."

"You've seen me naked before," I responded. "I'm not uncomfortable."

He turned away from the faucet and crouched down in front of me.

"Then why are you blushing?" he asked. He brushed the back of his knuckles against my warm cheek.

"Its unavoidable. I can't control myself around you."

I watched Edward's eyes flicker over my face.

"Let me help you," he said.

He pulled my socks from my feet before helping me stand. And then he slipped my tights and panties down my legs before helping me pull my tank top and bra over my head. He even undid my bun. I was secretly happy that his gaze didn't linger for long on my intimates, but I did see a slight flush gather on his cheeks.

"Here," he said, offering me a hand as I climbed in to the hot bath.

My legs were shaking uncontrollably.

"Ok, I am uncomfortable," I moaned. "Please don't watch."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like a crippled old lady," I whined. "Please."

I glanced up and saw Edward turn toward the opposite wall.

I lowered my aching body into the bath and quickly squirted some soap beneath the faucet stream. Bubbles erupted instantly and I gathered some over my chest and waist.

"Why are you so shy all of a sudden?" Edward asked skeptically as he turned to face me.

"Maybe because I'm all sore and… I'm naked in a bathtub?"

He frowned at me.

"Cause I'm weird? I don't know, I feel vulnerable."

Edward smirked as he took a seat on the closed toilet. And then he pulled out his iPhone. I watched him scan through it before setting it down on the sink. I listened as _Velouria_ by the Pixies played softly through his speakers.

"I need to get an iPhone," I mused.

"What kind of phone do you have?" he asked.

"A prepaid phone that Charlie got me when I moved here."

He nodded.

I watched his eyes flicker over my face and chest before looking away.

I blushed, looking down into the water.

"You like the Pixies?" I asked.

"I do."

"Most of their albums?"

"I have my favorites," he responded with a smirk.

"Me too. Is _Bossanova_ one of them?"

"Not really," he said. "But I like this song."

"I think _Surfer Rosa_ is my favorite album," I said as I blew the foam from my palm.

"That's a good one. I think my favorite is… _Trompe le Monde_."

"_Alec Eiffel?"_ I asked with a smile.

"It's a good song," Edward chuckled.

I leaned back into the tub, letting the hot water soak me from neck to toe. It felt incredible and my muscles were already starting to loosen and relax.

I glanced around the tiny bathroom. It was white and clean, but nowhere near as luxurious as the Cullen's bathrooms were. It was modest, with a small sink and a tiny mirror cabinet above it. The tub was rather large, a bath and shower combo.

I kept my eyes diverted from Edward as I played with the foam over my tummy. But every once in a while, my eyes would flicker to him. He was sitting slouched on the toilet seat with his arms crossed over his chest, watching me. I caught his gaze lingering on my legs, my tummy, sometimes my breasts, but more often on my face.

_Here Comes Your Man_ was the next song on his playlist.

"This song reminds me of you," I said softly.

I watched Edward's eyes dart from my feet to my eyes.

I ran my hand nervously through my hair.

"Of me?" he asked.

"I have a whole playlist of songs that remind me of you."

"Which songs?" Edward sat up and turned off the faucet.

"Lets see…" I picked up another scoop of bubbles. "Well, this song. _Wild Night_ by Van Morrison… _Say It Ain't So_ by Weezer… _Wonderwall_ by Oasis… _Manhattan_ by Bloody Social… _Cactus_ by the Pixies…"

"_Cactus_?" he asked. I watched his expression twist with humor.

"Yeah. _Cactus_."

"That song is about a guy who went crazy and killed his girlfriend…"

"I know," I chuckled, looking away. "But it's not always the words in the songs that remind me of you… It's… the way the songs make me feel."

"Those are some emo songs," Edward responded.

"Yeah… but they're good."

"They are good." I watched Edward's gaze drop to his hands.

I took the opportunity to dunk my head in the water and shampoo myself.

My bath ended very soon after that. I did a quick wash before I asked Edward to hand me a towel. His gaze was timid, only momentarily lingering on my naked body when he helped me up, before he wrapped me in my white towel. And then he helped me out of the tub and followed me to my room.

"What time is it?" I asked as I towel dried my body.

"Just after 4."

"Already?" I whirled around and glanced at the clock. "I can't believe I was in the bath for almost an hour."

"Look at your hands."

I glanced down. My hands and toes were very pruney.

I pulled on some panties and a plain blue t-shirt.

"Cuddle with me," I said as I climbed into bed.

I watched Edward kick off his shoes before he crawled onto my bed beside me. I turned towards him and tucked my head into his neck.

"I hate not being able to see you for long," I murmured.

"I don't work tomorrow."

"Can I see you tomorrow after practice?"

"Yes. And then we'll have the rest of the day to ourselves."

"Lets spend it at your house," I suggested. "Your bed is way bigger than mine."

"But yours is more comfortable," he argued. "It smells like you."

I felt his arms tighten around me, crushing me against his ribs. I welcomed it gladly. It hurt, but felt wonderful at the same time.

My half hour of bliss felt like only five minutes and before I knew it, Edward was pulling on his jacket and shoes and heading for the front door.

"I'll miss you," he said with a smirk.

"You'll be too busy to miss me," I argued.

"I'm never too busy to miss you, baby."

I leaned up on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Should I come over tonight?" he asked against my mouth.

"No," I sighed. "You need to get your rest."

"Maybe you should sneak into my room, then," he suggested.

My eyes flickered open, meeting his crooked smile.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Yes… no… maybe. I think you should sneak in."

I scoffed, looking away.

"How the hell would I pull that off?" I asked.

"Easy. Just come over."

"My truck?"

We stared at each other for a moment.

"You're right," he sighed. "It's too loud and we'll never get away with it."

I frowned.

"I gotta go. I'll call you after work," he said.

Edward sucked my lips into his mouth one more time before he turned and rushed out towards his Volvo.

I slept restlessly that night. Edward called me after work, but we only talked for a bit. I could tell, even over the phone, how tired he was. He told me that he had a busy day at work and didn't actually close up until around 10. He yawned many times and asked me to repeat myself over and over every time I spoke. By that point I knew he was already half asleep. So I wished him a sweet goodnight and told him I'd talk to him tomorrow.

The next morning, I was in even worse shape than the day before. It was so hard for me to climb out of bed and even harder to go to the bathroom. Who would have thought that sitting on the toilet caused some serious muscle work? My thighs were screaming from the pain and even my stomach was aching.

Rosalie called me at 9 again, urging me to get up and get a jog in.

"_You're in worse shape than I thought!"_ she complained when I told her that I wasn't up for any exercise.

"Seriously, Rose. I can barely move."

"_The only way to make the pain go away is to push through it, Bella. You're so lazy!"_

"I am not lazy, asshole. I'm in pain. My stomach and my thighs are on fire!"

"_Stop being a little bitch. Just get up, throw on your Vans, put on a sweatshirt and at least walk around the block once. Trust me, it will make you feel so much better."_

I complained to the point of tears, but eventually caved and agreed to meet her on my front porch in fifteen minutes.

I threw my hair up in a bun, pulled on a hoodie and tights and my stupid Vans.

"You have no idea how hard it was to lace up my shoes," I whined to an eager looking Rosalie. "Seriously, I could barely bend over."

"Lets stretch," she said, ignoring me.

We did some toe touches, some thigh stretches and some back stretches. Everything hurt so badly.

"How do you even have sex?" Rosalie asked as she eyed my shaking knees. "Does Edward do all the work?"

"Screw you," I snapped.

"Seriously. You're so weak. Sex should give you somewhat of a workout unless all you do is just lay there and let him dive into you."

I turned away from her and marched down the street, the pain in my legs instantly forgotten.

"There you go," Rosalie said with a triumphant smile. She met my pace easily. "A little anger and a bit of an adrenaline rush is all you need to get started. Now lets add a five-minute jog. We'll go slow."

I picked up the pace until I was at a steady, but slow run. My legs began to hurt, but the pain was soon masked as other pains became evident. My chest hurt a little as I gasped for air and my stomach muscles were killing me. I made it half way around the block before I gave up and settled for a brisk walk.

"Can we skip on the routine today?" I asked through quick gasps.

"Deep breaths, Bella. You're gonna pass out."

"Answer me!" I snapped.

"No, we can't skip. You need some serious work, girl. But we'll take it easy today. I don't want to kill you."

Rosalie's sarcasm was killing me more than my glutes.

We reached her car and I instantly collapsed into the passenger seat.

"Here," she said, handing me her camelback water bottle.

I removed the cap and took a few large gulps.

"Christ," I gasped. "I'm dying."

"You're not dying, lazy ass."

I rolled my eyes at her. My cheeks were burning and my heart was hammering hard in my chest.

By the time we were in the gym, I felt a little better. My body wasn't as tired and the headache hadn't kicked in yet, so I felt up for a little practice.

"Do you remember the routine?" Rosalie asked as she set her iPhone down on the mat.

_What You Waiting For?_ started to play softly from her speakers.

"Sure do, captain," I said with a sarcastic smile.

We went through the routine for about two hours, but I was still struggling with my balance. Rosalie said that it needed to look effortless and less like work. It needed to flow from me. She said I looked more like a stiff Barbie with no rhythm.

"More ass," Rosalie snapped. "Smile. Your hips, Bella. Left, right, left, right. That's it, you got it. Five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"

"What chu waitin', what chu waitin', what chu waitin'… foorrrr…" I sang to myself as I moved.

Jump, kick, point toe, arms out, point left, right, left, right, swish hips, slap thighs. Snap fingers, circle wrists, circle hips, step back, step back…

Once I was thoroughly exhausted and lay spent on the mat, Rosalie and I spent the next couple of hours talking less about cheer and more about the boys.

"How are you and Emmett doing?" I asked casually.

"We're fine I guess. We're still not boyfriend and girlfriend, though."

"How come?"

"I don't know. I guess we're still just… having fun."

I glanced up at her. She was sitting by my head, playing with the bottom hem of her jogging pants.

"Is that enough for you?" I asked.

"I don't know anymore," she sighed. "I really like Em, but I feel like he's… waiting for something, you know? He wont ask me to be his girlfriend, but I don't want to bring it up either."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to push him if he doesn't want a girlfriend right now. He's gonna be a senior and he's the star quarterback. He probably wants to be single."

I frowned. I honestly didn't know Emmett that well, but I was sure he had more than just a _thing_ for Rosalie. They already acted like a couple, so why not make it official?

"Do you want me to talk to him?" I asked.

"No way!" she snapped. "Nuh-uh. If he wants me to be his girlfriend, he can ask me himself."

We were quiet for another few minutes.

"Its almost 2," she said. "Do you wanna go downstairs and watch the boys play?"

"Sure."

The next two weeks passed in a blur and tryouts were literally just around the corner.

"You'll do fine," Rosalie reassured me for the hundredth time. We were sitting in her red Honda, driving towards Forks High. "You've got the routine down, you know the steps. You're ready, Bella. Stop freaking out."

"I'm not freaking out," I lied.

"Look, you're gonna be dancing with a group of girls. A lot of freshmen, sophomore and junior girls are trying-out this year. And I'm telling you, there are going to be a lot of girls who suck ass. You have nothing to worry about."

I took a few deep breaths, trying unsuccessfully to steady my heart.

Last week, I had made a few phone calls to various teachers in request for at least two teacher recommendations in order to join the Cheerleading Squad. Mr. Banner, my Bio teacher, and Mrs. Goff, my Spanish teacher, were nice enough to provide me with the letters of recommendation. Once that was taken care of, I met with Coach Samantha Wells and we had a rather pleasant interview.

Coach Wells was a pretty lady of about fifty. She had short curly brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a killer physique. She told me all about what my position would be like if I was picked as an alternate. She gave me a basic rundown; similar to the one Rosalie had given me. She told me what my duties would consist of, what would be expected of me and also let slip that there were a handful of other girls who wanted to tryout as an alternate as well. She also told me about what the practice schedule would be like during and outside of school. P.E. would basically be the same as usual, however, I would have to dedicate every Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:30 for practice. No acceptations. And, I would also get a free 6th period, open for away games, home games, pep rallies, other games and fundraisers.

I agreed to everything with a fake wide smile on my face. Wells seemed happy with my 'enthusiasm' and told me she couldn't wait to see me on Wednesday, August 14th at 3:30pm for Tryouts.

And now I was there, climbing out of Rosalie's car and heading for the gym.

My eyes flickered over the doors to the guy's locker room, but Edward was nowhere in sight.

"I guess that's a good thing," I said under my breath.

"What is?" Rosalie asked as she climbed the stairs beside me.

"I didn't see Edward."

"Would it be bad if he was here?"

"No, not at all. But… I can do without the humiliation of him seeing me make a fool out of myself."

"Bella," Rosalie snapped. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she gripped my wrist and pulled me towards her. "Stop putting yourself down. You're going to be fine and you're going to kick ass. Have some confidence, _please_. And where the fuck did all the motivation go?"

"Down the toilet with my early morning puking spree," I murmured.

"What?"

"Nothing, it was a joke. Ok, I'll do fine. I got this. I'm ready."

"That's it. Say it again, louder."

"I'll do fine. I got this. I'm ready."

Rosalie gave me stiff nod before she turned and led me into the gym doors.

It was packed, full of teenage girls wearing exercise clothes that looked too tight and too short for Forks weather. I remained modest in my semi-snug hoodie, messy bun, black tights and new pair of grey and lime green running shoes.

My eyes roamed over the many faces. Some I knew and some I didn't. I caught Alice's eye and I saw her nudge Angela before they both turned to wave at me.

I kept my head held high as I walked towards them.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey!" they squealed. "You made it."

"Of course."

My eyes flickered to Lauren, Jessica, Tanya and Kate who stood beside them.

Lauren gave me a death glare, her eyes roaming over my clothes. She was wearing a pair of very short and very tight yoga shorts and a small t-shirt with her tiny midriff showing.

"Ladies!" Coach Wells called to us.

I turned and saw the coach sitting on the lowest bleacher in front of us. My eyes flickered over her head, and sitting near the top flanked between Mike, Emmett, Tyler, Jasper, Eric and the rest of the Football team… was Edward.

I felt my face instantly burn red hot.

He smiled crookedly down at me, his eyes glittering with excitement.

"I see many new faces this year," Coach Wells continued. "But as many of you know, we are not taking more than thirteen girls. Aside from our newest head cheerleader and this year's captain, Rosalie Hale, all of last year's cheerleaders must be re-evaluated and must tryout to earn a spot on this year's cheerleading squad."

My eyes flickered to Rosalie who was standing beside the coach with a wide smile plastered across her face. Rose met my gaze and gave me an encouraging nod. I smiled back at her, thankful for her enthusiasm.

"Ok, so during the tryouts," the coach continued, "you will be evaluated based on your personality, your enthusiasm, your athleticism, scholastic capability and lastly your response to a brief questionnaire."

A rumble of voices broke out over the group of girls around me in response to what the coach said. There was some giggling, some talking, and some low groans of disapproval. But I remained quiet and expressionless as my eyes darted continuously towards Edward.

"Quiet, quiet," the coach said. "You have to be quiet or you're not going to hear me."

The voices around me died down.

"Please come and take a nametag. You will need to wear this sticker on your top at all times."

I approached the table by the bleachers where a girl was handing out various rolls of 'Hello. My name is…' stickers and Sharpies. I hastily wrote my name down and stuck it to my t-shirt beneath my hoodie.

The coach proceeded to introduce a few men and women from the board who would be evaluating us. She told us that we would go through the physical evaluation based on rounds, and we would get dismissed according to our skill level. And then tryouts began. She asked us to stretch if we needed to and said that the music would begin in five minutes. She informed us that we had been expected to learn a specific routine over the summer and the routine would be used to evaluate us. However, certain modifications can be made during the session and we would have to adjust accordingly. I assumed this was also part of the evaluation, seeing how we would react under pressure.

_This is like a job interview_, I thought as I stretched my thighs and back.

A few minutes later, Rosalie asked us to spread out at least four feet apart and then asked those who did not know the routine to follow her lead. She said that she would pick up the first eight steps and asked for the rest of us to follow starting at the top of the next eight. Rosalie told us that we had to repeat the routine over and over until the music stopped. This allowed the evaluation team to get a clear view of each girl who was trying-out. She also said that we were allowed to change our minds at any time and leave the court accordingly.

I pulled off my hoodie and tossed it onto the gym bag I was sharing with Rosalie before I scurried over to a position on the left beside a small brunette girl. I purposely kept some distance away from the girls I knew, mostly for my own piece of mind. I didn't want to get distracted.

The music started and four seconds later, Rosalie was dancing.

I watched her, keeping time in my head before I started. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…

I tried to remember all of the basics that Rosalie had drilled into my brain. Point my fingers, point my toes, pop my hips. Twirl my head, roll my hips, keep my arms firm. Every movement had to be tight and easy. And I had to always, always keep a smile on my face.

Once I got through the first three sets of the routine, I relaxed and let the stiff dance flow through me much more easily. Two weeks of hard work definitely played off. My gaze flickered to Edward and I chuckled when I saw the wide smile across his face. He was nodding in time to the song, his eyes drifting over my body watching me move. I knew I wasn't great at this kind of thing, but I knew I wasn't doing too bad either. His expression told me that much.

After what felt like ten sets, the music was finally cut.

I was sweating now and feeling the burn in my muscles, but I kept a smile on my face anyway.

I watched Rosalie approach the coach, and after a short discussion the coach sat up.

"Ladies, we are moving to round two. Unfortunately, some of you had to be cut."

I listened as names were called… But mine never came. I felt a small spasm of excitement run through me. I glanced around. There were about twenty girls now and all of them, I assumed, included the seven from last year's squad.

Tanya met my gaze and gave me a small wave.

I smirked at her and looked away.

The music started again, but Rosalie was asked to modify the dance according to her wishes. She changed a few things up, but nothing too difficult. It was enough, however, to cause me to momentarily stumble over my own feet. I had gotten used to the steps, so I wasn't prepared for even the tiniest change. The only thing she modified were some arm gestures and at one point, to turn to the left instead of the right. This threw me off balance and I stumbled into the small brunette girl beside me.

"Sorry," I gasped.

And then turning around with a phony smile on my face, I continued through the routine.

Eventually, the music was cut once again.

"Ladies," the coach's voice rang out. "Unfortunately a few more of you have been cut…"

And she called out another four names. But again, I wasn't one of them.

I glanced at the brunette girl beside me and she gave me a small giggle. She was just as surprised as I was.

The coach called a five-minute break and she turned to Rosalie and the evaluators. I stood by myself, sweating and catching my breath.

My eyes flickered back to Edward and he and Mike gave me two thumbs up. I laughed and shook my head at them, feeling embarrassed.

And then the coach approached us once again.

"Alice Brandon, Angela Weber, Brie Tanner, Kate Denali, Lauren Mallory, Irina Denali, and Tanya Vasilii, you have all made the cut. Welcome back on to the squad!"

The small brunette girl beside me gave a soft shriek of happiness before she turned to me.

"Good luck!" she said in a small voice before she turned and rushed over to the coach and her teammates.

_That must be Brie,_ I thought to myself.

I glanced over at the remaining nine girls around me and my gaze landed on Jessica. She gave me a shy smile and a small wave. I waved back at her, chuckling softly to myself.

The next round of the evaluation process consisted of the brief questionnaire. The rest of us nine were asked to approach the evaluators and we were asked various questions in turn.

"If you had to chose one word to describe yourself, what would it be?" was one question.

"How would you describe your enthusiasm for this school?"

"Are you involved in any other clubs or extracurricular activities?"

"How do you feel about volunteering for fundraisers?"

"Isabella Swan, you were a new student to Forks High last year. What made you want to be on this year's High School Cheerleading Squad?"

I blanched.

"Um… I…" I glanced at the many faces around me. "Well, honestly, I've never been on a real team before. I've always been kind of the shy girl. I was introduced to this opportunity by your head cheerleader, and cheer captain, Rosalie Hale. And after seeking some information about what an actual cheerleading squad represents, I found myself eagerly seeking a spot on your team. I think it will give me a chance to really come into my own. I like this school and I know that by becoming a cheerleader, I will be able to help develop a relationship between our school and others, I'd be able to promote school spirit, and I'd help create a kind of unity between sports and the students on campus."

I kept an eager smile on my face and even added a bit of bounce as I finished my statement. I didn't know what the hell to say as an answer to that question, so I said the first thing that came to my head. I started off honest, and then completely BS'd my way through the rest.

"Well, Bella, I think you'll be very happy here," one of the men said to me.

I nodded enthusiastically.

The nine of us that remained were dismissed for another ten-minute break while the evaluators went over our responses.

"That was really good," Jessica said to me. "How the fuck did you come up with that?"

"No idea," I murmured as my eyes flickered back to Edward. "Mike is flagging you."

Jessica turned to see Mike move his hands, imitating her hourglass figure, before he threw a thrust in at the end.

Jessica and I broke out into a fit of silent laughter from Mike's stupidity.

"He's insane," she hissed. "Is he trying to get me cut?"

"He's just dumb. But you do look good in your outfit," I added, eyeing her short shorts.

"I have your results," Coach Wells finally said. "When I call your name, please step forward."

I watched her run her finger down the list.

"Ashley Dowling, Carmen Eleazar, Jennifer Ford, Jessica Stanley, Katie Mallory, and Isabella Swan."

I glanced around at the other girls who stepped forward. She called six of us.

"Congratulations," Coach Wells continued. "You six have made the cut. Welcome to the squad! As for the rest of you, please use this experience as motivation for improvement. I look forward to seeing you at tryouts next year."

I felt Jessica's arms close around me as she erupted into a fit of loud squeals.

"Wow," I said. "I made the cut."

I laughed along with Jessica and then accepted the few hugs that were offered to me by the other girls on _my_ team.

Lauren and Tanya kept their distance, however. But I was fine with that.

A loud whooping came from high on the bleachers and when I turned I saw Edward and Mike on their feet, swinging their t-shirts in wide circles over their heads as they hollered down to us. Written sloppily across their chests in black paint were the words, '_Team Bella'_ and _'Team Jessica.'_

I broke out into hysterics when I saw my name written across Edward's perfect torso.

"Yeah, baby!" Edward called in a deep, velvet voice. "That's my girl!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Hahaha, I'm sorry, but I had to. Cheerleader Edward is just too funny to me. lol But you know that it was all Mike's idea. He's such a cheese-ball sometimes.**

**The routine's I used as somewhat of a reference for the past couple of chapters are some that I looked up on youtube. I basically just looked up 'high school cheerleading tryouts' in the search engine. … just in case some of you were wondering. Lol**

**LEAVE ME SOME REVIEWS, YO!**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	35. Chapter 35: V-Up Straddles

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 35: V-Up Straddles**

"Edward, Mike!" Coach Wells called with a bit of a chuckle. "Please put your t-shirts back on."

I watched Edward skip down a few steps before jumping the rest of the ten or so feet to my side. I shrieked in surprise from the loud smack that echoed through the gym once his feet made contact with the ground.

"Come here," he said through clenched teeth.

Edward pulled me into his arms and gave me a sloppy kiss on the mouth.

"Stop!" I hissed against his lips. "Rule number three: must maintain a pleasing personality and emotional stability!"

Edward chuckled and let me go.

"Edward," Coach Wells snapped again. "Put your t-shirt on!"

"Yes ma'am," Edward responded with a small bow. And then he pulled his shirt back over his head.

My eyes lingered involuntarily on his firm pelvis and sprinkled bit of hair just below his bellybutton.

"Ladies, gather round," Wells called again. "We are meeting next week, Monday August 19th at 12 o'clock, and we will begin the first day of the end of summer conditioning. Practice will take place for two and a half hours, Monday through Thursday from 12 to 2:30pm. You must all be available to put in 10 hours a week of practice for the next two weeks before your 2013 school term begins. Please have the appropriate practice equipment with you and come in the appropriate practice attire. Here is a list of guidelines you must all meet and adhere to."

Coach Wells handed out a small folder to each of us. I immediately opened mine and scanned the first page. It read, _'THE 2013-2014 CONSTITUTION OF CHEERLEADING FOR: FORKS HIGH SCHOOL._' And glancing down at the table of contents I saw that I was in for a week of announcements and some orientation where financial obligations, funds, activity accounts and participation requirements will be discussed.

"I encourage you all to read through it, some details have changed over the last year. I will see you all on Monday at 12 sharp."

"Looks like we need to make a stop at the Port Angeles mall," Angela said under her breath.

I quickly skimmed through the list of required uniforms and equipment we were responsible for purchasing. Some of it could be bought at school in the Student's Store; like the gym bag with the school's logo, the cheerleader uniform, jacket, spirit flex body wear crop tops and spanks, practice t-shirts, shorts and even the warm-ups and towels. The only thing I had to actually go to the mall to buy were some compression clothes, white tennis shoes, white socks, and solid colored t-shirts and shorts for practice days, if desired.

"I'm in," I said to Angela. "I basically need to buy this entire list."

"Let's go this weekend," Jessica suggested. "It'll be fun."

"Sounds good to me," Angela agreed.

My eyes flickered to Edward. He still had that goofy grin on his face.

"My baby is a cheerleader," I said softly into my ear.

"Barely," I chuckled. "I'm an alternate, remember?"

"But that doesn't mean I wont get to see you practice… four times a week… two and a half hours a day…"

I blushed.

"Lets get out of here," he said. "I have work in thirty minutes."

I followed Edward into the boy's locker room and over towards the showers where he removed his shirt and started rinsing the black paint from his chest. My eyes flickered around the room. It smelled like… guy and like cleaning solution. It was all grey and white and teal.

My eyes flickered back to Edward and I watched him collect some soup into his hand before rubbing it quickly over the black paint across his chest.

"Thanks for doing that," I said as I watched the trails of black water drip down his smooth torso.

"Just repaying the favor… Cause you know, you're gonna be doing it for me in the near future." Edward gave me a cocky wink.

"You seem to be more excited about all of this than I am."

"I can't deny that I'm pretty fuckin' excited about seeing you in a little skirt doing jumps and kicks while you cheer me on during my games."

He turned and pulled me into his wet body. I didn't resist him. Instead, I forced myself closer, seeking his warmth and the texture of his smooth chest. I felt his hands slide up my shirt, seconds before goose bumps erupted over my skin from his tender touch.

He smirked and jerked his hips against me. I could feel the bulge in his pants against my stomach.

"We can't do this here." I groaned as I leaned my face away from him.

Edward took the opportunity to suck a path of wet kisses from the base of my jaw, down my neck.

"Why not?" he murmured. "No one will see us."

"They might."

I felt Edward's teeth rake against my collarbone before I shivered and finally pushed him away.

"No," I gasped. "Not here, Edward, please."

He chuckled and then let me go.

I readjusted my shirt and watched as he pulled his back over his head.

"I'll take you home," he said.

When Charlie got home at around 7:30, he came barging into the house with a tiny bundle of roses in his hands.

"Congratulations on making the team, Bell!" he said with a silly grin.

"Dad!" I groaned. "Its really not a big deal. Seriously."

"Yes it is. You've never been on a team before, and I'm very proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone and doing this."

I laughed at his obvious excitement.

"Hell, it sure isn't baseball, but it's still somethin'," he added.

I laughed even harder as I snatched the flowers from him.

"Thanks dad, you really didn't have to do this."

"I know, but I wanted to, kid."

"How did you even know I made the team?" I asked surprised.

"Edward texted me. I swear, that boy is a lot more excited about this than you are."

"Don't I know it," I giggled.

"I think he's mostly excited about getting to see you in short skirt."

I glanced up in surprise, and then immediately regretted it when I was met with Charlie's stern gaze.

"Dad, he's my boyfriend. He's just happy for me."

"Sure, sure."

I rolled my eyes and turned towards the chicken simmering in a pot of creamy garlic sauce.

"Hungry?" I asked.

"Aren't I always?"

I chuckled and set up two plates with angel hair pasta before covering it with the creamy chicken sauce.

"Don't eat too much," Charlie grunted when I took my first bite. "I think Edward's coming over with dessert."

"Are you serious?"

"Yup."

"I swear. You guys are acting like I just won the lottery… or just got accepted to law school or something. Its just a cheerleading squad."

"Yeah, but you worked hard for it. Honestly, I don't think I've seen you work so hard before. Every night for the past week you were practically passing out at the dinner table. And look at your arms."

I glanced down at my arms.

"I think… wait a minute…" Charlie poked my tiny bicep with the tip of his fork. "There might be some muscle growing there."

"Shut up," I laughed, yanking my arm out of his reach.

We joked around freely for the next hour before a small knock came from the door.

"I'll get it," Charlie said.

I frowned after him, taking a sip from my Coke.

"Congratulations…" Edward said, stepping into the kitchen. "…Again."

I laughed and covered my face with my hands.

"Look, I brought some treats," he continued.

I peeked through my fingers. Sure enough, he was holding a little white box filled with cheese danish's, chocolate croissants, little pink bite-size cake balls and some mini brownies.

My eyes flickered to his excited expression. He was still wearing his work uniform, the black polo with his nametag on it, and his grey beanie.

"Thank you," I said softly. "Its really sweet."

He bent down to give me a quick kiss on the lips, but I didn't let him pull away. I linked my arms around his neck and forced my tongue into his mouth. He accepted before gently, but very firmly, pushing me away.

"Charlie," he hissed, inches from my mouth.

"I know. Sorry."

"Can I have some?" he asked, glancing pointedly at one of the small brownies.

"Of course. Dad, want some dessert?" I held up a cheese danish.

Charlie took it from me before offering Edward a glass of milk. We spent most of the night talking about _Gathering Grounds_ and laughing about how I did during the cheerleading tryouts. Edward was being very nice, saying I didn't screw up once. But I didn't let him get away with that. I told Charlie all about how I stumbled into a girl beside me because Rosalie was asked to change up the routine.

"It wasn't that bad, though," Edward said. "I barely even noticed it."

"Yeah, right," I laughed.

"Ok, I did notice it. But it didn't look as bad as you make it sound."

"I still fell against her. It was embarrassing."

"But you recovered quickly," Edward argued.

"Thanks to Rosalie. She drilled that routine into my brain. I don't think I'll ever forget it."

Edward shrugged, offering himself another brownie.

"Are you hungry? We have some leftover dinner. Chicken and pasta."

"Uh… yeah, thanks Bella."

I got up and served him a hearty plate.

"Dad," I said turning timidly back to Charlie. "I need to go to Port Angeles soon. I need to buy some clothes and shoes and stuff for cheer. Nothing major, though."

"Sure, kid. How much do you need?"

I watched Charlie pull his wallet from his back pocket.

"Um… I don't know," I answered honestly.

"I can drive you," Edward offered from beside me.

"I might go with the girls," I said with a frown. "But you can call Tyler or Mike. They'd probably want to go too and we can all go as a group."

"Na," Edward said with a shake of his head. "Go with your friends. I'll just see you after."

Just then, Charlie dropped two hundred dollar bills in front of me.

"Dad," I sighed, pushing the money back towards him. "That's too much."

"Take it, Bella. You're my daughter and I want to help you out. You never ask me for money."

"But its really too much. I don't need all of that."

"Then use the rest of it to buy your uniform."

I glanced at Edward. He gave me an encouraging nod. So, reluctantly, I gathered the two bills into my fist and stuck them in my sweatshirt pocket.

"Thanks, dad. You're too good to me," I muttered.

"I love you, Bell." Charlie's eyes were on his glass of milk as he said this.

I smirked; letting his words run deep, touching my heart.

The next day, I spent most of the morning on the phone with Rosalie laughing about tryouts the evening before and discussing what I needed to expect for the coming year.

She told me that the year wasn't going to be too crazy, it never was at Forks High. I argued with her, saying that tryouts was taken very seriously and that the _Cheerleading Constitution_ Coach Wells gave us looked very strict. She said the only thing I had to worry about was learning the routines and making sure I remembered to wear my cheer uniform to school on the required days.

"_Honestly, Bella. They need to take this stuff seriously with us up front, but Wells isn't as anal as she seems. We don't haaave to wear warm-ups to every practice and we don't haaaave to wear only plain t-shirts and shorts. We can wear printed tanks too. Its just… she wants us to start off following the rules, you know?"_

"Yeah, I guess," I said. "But the whole thing seems very serious. Like a job."

"_Well, it is kind of like a job,"_ Rosalie said. _"You have to dedicate time to practice, you have to keep your grades up in school. You have to show up to every meet, every practice and every event. It is work."_

"Yeah," I sighed.

"_Are you nervous?"_

"A little. I was so wound-up these past few weeks, actually worrying about tryouts. And now that I'm on the squad, I don't know. I'm just wondering if I bit off more than I can chew. I was reading something about performing properly executed stunts and required tumbling skills. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do all that."

"_All you have to do is try, Bella. That's all. Wells isn't gonna bite your head off for not being able to do a backflip."_

"A backflip?" I gasped.

"_Relax. I can't even do a back flip."_

Our conversation relaxed a little more after that. We talked about the events coming up and then made jokes about buying the school calendar and marking the days down.

Rosalie made me feel kind of excited about the whole thing and I soon found myself eagerly anticipating my senior year.

"I can't believe I get a free period!" I gushed. "I'm more excited about that than anything else."

"_I know,"_ Rosalie laughed. _"We get to leave school early. Too bad your boyfriend will be stuck at school."_

"Will he?" I asked.

"_Yeah. Sixth period P.E. is for the jocks. They use that as their practice hour and its lasts well into the evening until 5:30."_

"Does Edward know this? He starts work at 5."

"_He does. He's probably gonna change his work schedule once school starts."_

I felt myself frown. "What are his practice hours gonna be like?"

"_I think they practice Monday through Thursday, 2 to 5:30, but we usually practice only on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30. I heard Wells make a comment about how she's trying to change our practice hours though. I heard her talking with the trainer. Apparently she wants to bump up our hours."_

"Why?"

"_Cause we have a lot of new girls this year. We've never had a team larger than eight, and now theirs fourteen of us. Three cheerleaders and one alternate. She thinks we're gonna need more time."_

"So what do you think our hours will be like?"

"_I think…"_ she sighed. _"I think we're probably gonna be asked to start at 2 instead of 4:30, like the guys."_

"I guess that doesn't sound so bad."

"_Na. One day a week is really easy… Speaking of which, Edward is gonna be out of practice soon. You better go take a shower, dirty girl,"_ Rosalie teased.

"How do you know if I've showered or not?"

"_I don't."_

"Ok," I chuckled. "Talk to you later."

"_Bye."_

I showered quickly and even spent a little extra time on my hair. I added some eyeliner, threw on my old Rolling Stones t-shirt and pair of my skinny jeans. And then I met Edward outside of his house.

I arrived early and settled in to wait in the cab of my truck. His house looked dark and deserted, not a car in sight. Not even Emmett's Jeep.

And then, at 3:30, Edward pulled into his driveway.

I climbed out of my truck and met him on his porch.

You look cute," he greeted with his crooked smile.

"So do you," I said. "You always do."

I let my hands run through his wet hair as I leaned up to kiss his lips.

"Come on," he said, unlocking the front door and pulling me in behind him.

Edward walked into his kitchen, grabbed a couple of red Gatorades and then followed me up the stairs to his bedroom.

"You need to do your laundry," I giggled once I entered his room.

His floor was covered with piles of clothes, but luckily his room still smelled like clean bed sheets and Old Spice.

"I don't have time to do laundry," Edward argued. "I'm a busy, hardworking man."

I smiled and kicked off my shoes.

Edward followed suit, but removed his jeans and jacket as well.

My eyes flickered over his dark burgundy boxer-briefs and muscular bare legs before I finally pulled my jeans off as well.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Edward asked, moving towards his bookcase.

"Sure."

"What are you in the mood for?" he asked.

"How about… something scary?"

"How about," Edward said, turning slowly to face me. "We smoke some of this first and _then_ watch a scary movie."

He held up a rolled up joint.

"Where did you get that?" I asked surprised.

"I just found it," he laughed.

"But don't you get drug tested on the football team?"

"We just did last week," Edward shrugged. "They only test us once every six months. Trust me, we have it planned out on our calendars. I'll be fine."

"Do I get drug tested?" I asked.

_No_, I answered myself. Rosalie is always getting high.

"Never mind," I laughed. "Lets do it."

Edward released a raspy chuckle before he retrieved a lighter and led me to his balcony.

We stepped outside into the cool air and I watched as Edward placed the joint between his lips before lighting up.

He took a long pull and licked his lips happily before releasing the thick cloud of white smoke into the air.

"Good?" I asked with a wide smile.

"Good." His voice was a soft purr. "I haven't smoked in… I don't even know how long."

"How come?" I asked as I took the joint from him.

"Just… never got the opportunity to."

I took a drag and sucked in a mouthful of fresh air before holding it in my lungs. It was good, and very smooth. Smoother than what Rosalie often stole from Jasper.

"Speaking of Jasper," I said as I breathed the cloud of smoke out.

"I didn't know we were," Edward responded with a raised eyebrow.

I handed the joint back to him. "How are you guys doing? Are you still talking?"

"Yeah, we're cool. We hang out a little before practice."

"Are things like how they used to be?"

Edward handed me back the joint and I took a puff.

"Not really," he answered honestly. "I don't know why its not. Maybe I'm just… I don't know. Maybe I don't really care either way anymore."

I nodded looking down.

"Eric told me that you and Angela got into a little spat at the beach a couple of weeks ago."

"And he told you that now?" I asked. And then I choked and coughed around the cloud of smoke releasing from my lungs.

Edward rubbed his hand soothingly over my back.

"Apparently Angela thinks you hate her or something," he said.

"I don't hate her," I chuckled. "Why would I hate her?"

"No idea."

"Maybe I'm still a little grudgey over the Port Angeles thing."

Edward's eyes flickered quickly over my face before looking away.

"What?" I asked.

"What?"

"You gave me a look. You keep doing that."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do, Edward. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, I just… you still have that nightmare sometimes."

"Not very often," I mumbled.

"Often enough."

I glanced up at him.

Edward was watching me with a steady gaze, waiting for me to speak.

"Let's go inside," I said.

I watched him take one more pull before he put the joint out with his fingertips. He followed me back into his room and then set up his DVD player with the film _28 Days Later_ and then crawled into bed beside me. He leaned back against his fluffy pillows and opened his right arm, offering me a spot tucked against his side.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Bella," he said softly. His arm was draped snugly around my shoulders, his fingers playing with the little feather on my chest. "But I know you still have that nightmare, whether or not you want to admit it."

I glanced up at him, but his eyes were on the screen. I looked away.

"Why wont you talk to me about it?" he continued.

"Cause there's nothing to talk about."

"What happens in your nightmare?"

I sighed and tried to pull away from him.

His arm tightened around me, keeping me securely in his embrace.

"Talk to me," he urged.

"Not right now, please," I groaned. "I'm high and it makes me really upset every time I think about it."

I herd him sigh angrily, but he let the topic drop.

After only a few minutes into the movie, Edward's nose started nuzzling my ear and soon, all thoughts of zombies and nightmares left my mind. I turned towards him as sudden urges made precedence in my groin.

I felt Edward's lips graze against my earlobe before he buried his face in my neck, inhaling my scent.

"You smell so good, baby." His voice was a soft hum against my throat.

I felt the muscles in my tummy tighten, achingly so, before I turned and fisted my hands into his hair. His mouth was instantly on mine, smashing hard against my lips, his tongue hot and wet as he forced it into my mouth. Neither of us held back after that.

I whimpered loudly when his hands slid away from my ribs and down to my thighs, forcing them open so that he could bury his dick against my crotch. Heat flooded my body, a fire running through me, scorching through my veins.

My hands raked hard over his shoulders, around his sides to his back, my nails digging into his t-shirt, seeking his smooth skin.

"I want you on top," Edward said and then he flipped us so that I was straddling him.

The sudden jolt of movement made me gasp out in surprise as my hair whipped around my face.

"God, you're so hot," he groaned huskily.

I felt his hands slip quickly up my shirt towards my breasts. His hands fisted over my supple skin before his thumbs swept quickly over my pert nipples. I threw my head back as a low whimper clawed its way out of my throat.

"Oh, God," I cried. "Fuck me."

I circled my hips roughly over his erection, and then smiled when I heard him choke out a deep growl of pleasure.

Edward's lips and teeth were rough and hungry as he sucked my nipples into my mouth. I couldn't recall him removing my t-shirt or my bra, but I figured I was probably just as high off his body as I was off the weed.

My hands moved of their own accord. I yanked his shirt over his head and forced his boxers down his hips before I pulled the crotch of my panties aside. I moved quickly, eager to feel him hot and hard against me… inside of me.

I felt Edward's hands grip the waistband of my underwear and pull. I wasn't even fazed by the sound of my panties stretching and ripping as he yanked them away from my body.

"Hold on, baby," Edward gasped. One of his hands gripped my hip, keeping me at a safe distance from his cock.

I whimpered again as I gyrated my hips against his thigh. I slid against him easily, my arousal practically dripping from my pussy.

I watched him tear the small foil package open before he slid the latex over his dick. And then I was on him, instantly taking him into me, filling me completely.

I cried out from the sudden fullness, but immediately forced myself to move. I pumped myself over him slowly, easing my way up and then all the way back down before I circled my hips against his pelvis, seeking friction against my clit.

"You look so fucking hot," Edward panted heavily from beneath me.

I opened my eyes, my gaze instantly landing on his. His eyes were hooded and dazed, his pupils large and dilated in his green irises. His mouth was sagging open, his lips wet and glittering as he watched me hump him at a steady rhythm. He was leaning back against the headboard, his shoulders surrounded by fluffy white pillows. A bit of sunlight was peaking through his drapes, and the bright yellow rays streaked over his chest.

"So beautiful," I whispered as I gazed down at him.

I felt his hands slide from my breasts, down over my ribs and tummy and then around my hips to grip my ass. He lifted his hips into me, forcing me to whimper and push back against him. And then we were moving, faster and much more aggressively against each other. He sat up suddenly and wrapped his arms beneath mine so that he could fist his hands into my hair. I braced myself; my head back as he tugged on my sweaty locks while my hands gripped his shoulders, using them as leverage as I pumped myself faster above him. The spring in my lower abdomen started to tighten and stretch.

"I'm getting close," he gasped.

My gaze flickered to his and I could see him struggle to hold himself together.

I reached a hand down between my legs and instantly starting rubbing and circling my clit.

Edward's gaze followed my hand and I heard him groan as he watched me fondle myself. I gasped for air and whimpered louder when I felt his tongue slid up neck to the tip of my chin. And then a bolt of pleasure shot through me, straight to my pussy.

"Fuck," I cried. "Oh God."

He flipped us again so that he was on top, forcing my knees against my chest as he buried himself into me, thrusting erratically. I cried out again as I gripped his shoulders. It felt like my body was on the verge of combustion.

"I'm coming, baby," Edward heaved in a husky warning as he bent to rest his head against mine.

I heard him release a strangled groan just as my pussy constricted around him. I had to scream to get the air out of my lungs as I came, trembling beneath him as he rode us both through our orgasms.

Once he collapsed onto my chest, we laid there for a minute, struggling to breathe while our bodies trembled against each other.

Over the next week, I spent a lot of time with Rosalie, Jessica, Alice and Angela. We had to run many errands, getting our cheer equipment together in time for practice Monday afternoon. And when the day finally came, I felt utterly unprepared in my tight, black spandex practice shorts and white t-shirt with words _FORKS TROJANS _written in teal across the chest. My hair was up in a high ponytail, just like everyone else, and I was in my white socks and white Kaepa Touch Shoes. Yet, I still somehow managed to feel sloppy with the loose strands of hair that resisted my ponytail and hung, flowing in the light breeze around my face and shoulders.

All fourteen of us were standing around on a section of the football field, shivering from the damp breeze, while watching the boys on the football team run back and forth doing their morning routine.

I watched Edward the entire time.

"Good afternoon, Ladies!" Coach Wells called to us.

I turned and saw her approach with a man and woman by her side. They were all dressed in their warm-ups, all white and teal. Our school colors.

We spent the first hour going over announcements and orientation. And Rosalie was right. Wells had decided to bump up our practice hours. Instead of practicing on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30pm once school started, we were told that we'd be practicing Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 5:30pm.

Many groans of displeasure erupted around me, but Wells argued that in order for us to get into shape and learn to work as a team of fourteen instead of eight, we needed enough time to work on our bodies and really get to know each other. Cheerleading was about trust and unity. We had to trust our peers.

Once orientation was completed, we got to work. We stretched for about ten minutes and then were released to run two miles on the track around the football field.

Two miles.

I got to work.

The first mile wasn't too bad. I had gotten somewhat used to controlling my breathing and the inevitable migraine, but the second mile was killer. Many of us had slowed to a crawling jog and there were even a couple of us who gave up all together and walked the last couple of laps. I was one of them.

"Move it, Bella!" Alice shriek as she jogged passed me.

I didn't have enough energy to call out a smartass remark as I forced my legs to move.

Once we were done, Coach Wells gave us a long lecture on how out of shape we all were, and because _some of us_ couldn't complete the two miles in under twenty minutes.

The conditioning process was basically sets of Jumping Squats to help with tumbling and dipping, Burpies to help with speed and endurance, Jump Joints to work on our posture and pointing our toes, V-Up Straddles to help with toe touches and heel stretches, and lastly Tricep Dips. All of the exercises were modified in a way that added a cheerleader's stance and arm gestures, clasping hands, doing the T with our arms, and the entire time I had to remember to 'engage my core.'

Needless to say, I stumbled and fell a lot throughout the entire process, and by the end of the day's session, my ass, knees and elbows hurt more than any of the real muscles in my body.

"Jesus," Jessica gasped from beside me.

We were all lying on the ground having just finished the last set of Tricep Dips. My arms were shaking in my sockets and my entire body was pulsing and exhausted.

"I know," I said to Jessica. "This is harder than I expected."

"Hell yeah. I'm so out of shape."

"You're telling me. Everything hurts."

Jessica released a loud chuckle before she turned her head to face me.

She had worn a bow in her hair today and I could see it crumpled and dirty behind her head. She was sweating, her face an alarming shade of pink. I could only imagine what my face must look like.

"Up!" Wells called. "Come on ladies, you need to stretch. We're not done yet."

I felt my body tremble as I forced myself into a sitting position before I finally got to my feet.

We spent the next fifteen minutes thoroughly stretching out our bodies before we were finally dismissed.

"I'll see you all tomorrow at 12 o'clock sharp!" Wells snapped at us.

We all called out a soft goodbye to her before going our separate ways. I stayed behind on the bleachers with most of the squad. The only few who didn't linger were most of the new girls.

"What did you think of your first day?" Alice asked Jessica and I.

We both groaned and then giggled as we massaged our sore legs.

"Its really not that bad once you get used to it," Irina said. "It just takes some practice."

"I warned you. You need to take this seriously," Angela said with a cocky smirk.

She didn't look half as tired as I felt.

I chuckled and nodded at her. She was right.

A half hour later, the boys were dismissed to the showers and I watched as Edward made his way over to me. He was wearing his black compression clothes, shoulder pads and teal and white jersey shirt. I watched as he removed his helmet.

"How was your first day?" he asked, crouching down in front of me.

I blushed when I saw that some of the girls give me a knowing smile.

"Fine. Exhausting," I laughed.

He nodded, whipping sweat from his brow.

My eyes flickered to Lauren who stood beside Tanya. Her eyes darted between Edward and I before she picked up her gym bag and marched away towards the parking lot.

"How was _your_ day?" I asked as I ran my fingers through his sweaty hair.

"Not that bad, actually," Edward said. "I've had worse."

I chuckled.

He handed me his half empty Gatorade before he turned towards the guy's locker room.

"I'll meet you in ten minutes," he said.

I nodded, and took a long gulp.

"He's such a cutie," someone said from behind me on the bleachers.

I turned and saw Katie sitting just behind me. Katie Mallory. Lauren's 14-year-old younger sister.

Her eyes were still on Edward's retreating form, watching him jog across the field towards the double doors.

The rest of the week flowed much the same. The first few days were filled with conditioning warm-ups before finally, in the middle of the week, we started working on some actual cheers. I didn't know whether or not I should be happy about this or not. I was still falling over constantly and I still struggled to jog the two miles around the football field in under twenty minutes. And my body was so sore.

Our squad had our own trainer who worked with our coach and Rosalie on the cheer routines. Apparently, as promoters of school spirit, we had to participate in a pep rally on the first day of school. We had to create a Welcome banner and show our well-rehearsed 2-minute cheer during lunch. So it was finally Wednesday, only a little over a week away before our first day of school and we were getting ready to learn our first real routine.

Wells and Rosalie told us that the pep rally cheer was going to be very basic and very easy as it was going to be our first real routine of the year. It was meant to help promote our football team and encourage our student body to participate in all of the schools athletic events and activities.

I also found out that I had to participate in this pep rally, whether I was an alternate or not.

I felt my stomach flip.

"Shit."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**If I get a lot of reviews, I'll post the next chapter earlier this week. ;)**

**I know many of your are going to complain about the nightmare and how Bella wont confide in Edward, and all I'm gonna say is… There's a reason and it'll come up later. =X**

**Oh, and did anyone else catch that Lauren's sister had made the team last chapter? Lol Katie Mallory… hmm…**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	36. Chapter 36: The Pep Rally

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 36: The Pep Rally**

The first day of my senior year and I felt almost exactly as uncomfortable as I'd felt the first time I had stepped foot in this school. Forks High.

Everyone was staring. Only today, they weren't staring at me because I was the 'new girl.' They were staring at me because I was wearing the Forks High School cheerleading uniform.

I felt Edward's fingers tighten momentarily around mine.

I turned to glance up at him. He was wearing the familiar school uniform; tan pants, white collard shirt, black zip-up hood beneath the teal blazer and a grey beanie on his head. He looked beautiful like always. Perfect.

He turned to look at me, feeling my eyes on him. He smirked.

"You ok?" he asked softly.

I nodded while subtly tugging on the bottom hem of my skirt.

I was wearing my scarf and my grey zip-up hoodie beneath my teal blazer. And I was even wearing my Doc Marten boots. And though I was trying my best to blend in, its hard to mistaken the white and teal cheerleading skirt I had on, and even harder to miss the large white _TROJANS_ gym bag slung over my shoulder.

I glanced around again and everyone was still staring. Some had wide smiles, and some were glaring, probably those who didn't make the cut. And some looked mostly just curious.

I dropped my head and even tried to brush my hair over my shoulder to hide my face.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked again as he leaned in close to me.

"Everyone's staring at me," I murmured.

I felt Edward's hand release mine before he smoothly draped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. This helped. In some ways I felt shielded by his arm. Safe. Untouchable. Even from their nasty eyes.

"Rosalie's over there," Edward said as he pointed towards the gym.

I glanced up and saw Rosalie trotting angrily towards me, her high ponytail bouncing and swinging in the brisk September morning breeze.

"Where are your shoes?" she snapped. "Why is your hair down? Bella, you're supposed to be in uniform."

"I am in uniform," I defended, pulling open my hoodie.

"Bella, Jesus Christ! You're supposed to be in uniform! That means, hair, makeup, shoes, warm-ups. All you have on is your uniform."

My eyes flickered over Rosalie's made-up face. Blue eye shadow, pink cheeks, red lipstick. I frowned.

"I don't have to wear a bunch of makeup," I argue. I had eyeliner and mascara on. What more did she want?

"Go to the locker room," she ordered. "You need to get ready. If Wells sees you like this, she's gonna blow her cap. Go get dressed."

I heard Edward chuckle around me before he slowly withdrew his arm. I rolled my eyes and followed Rosalie hastily into the girl's locker room.

"We have fifteen minutes before homeroom," she snapped. "Hurry up."

Rosalie pulled open my gym bag while I removed my teal blazer, boots and hoodie. I pulled on the white jacket from our warm-ups, white socks, and my white Kaepa shoes before I let Rosalie pull my hair up into a messy ponytail and clip the white bow into my hair.

"God, why did you have to put so much hairspray in your hair?" Rosalie groaned.

"Why are you so upset?" I asked with a frown. I was watching her through the wall length mirror at the end of the room.

"I'm just a little… ugggghhhh… stressed."

"Why?"

"Because I'm cheer captain? Because if we fuck up the routine today, its my ass. I'm the one who's gonna get in trouble."

"Relax," I soothed. "We're gonna be fine. We've gone over the routine many times and it's so similar to the one we did during tryouts. We've got this."

I listened to Rosalie take a deep breath.

"You're right," she sighed. "We got this."

We parted ways outside of the gym and I hurried to my homeroom. Apparently, at the beginning of the new school year, we were supposed to spend fifteen minutes in our first period class from _last_ year in order to collect this year's list of classes. This is what they considered a homeroom. Weird.

I sat in my usual seat surrounded by familiar and unfamiliar faces.

I noticed that Bree Tanner was actually in my class. She gave me a quick wave, which I returned with a smile. She had red lipstick on too.

Our list of classes was passed out and I quickly scanned mine before the bell rang and we were dismissed to our real first period.

First class, 12th Grade English with Mr. Berty.

I moved hastily, eager to get away from prying eyes.

The English building was right next door to the Math building so I made it to my first class in less than two minutes.

I pulled the door open and stepped in. My eyes immediately found Edward. He was sitting in the back of the room, Tanya on his left. They must have heard me come in because as soon as I walked in, they both turned and smiled at me. I smiled back, ignoring the sudden bitter taste in my mouth.

I made my way over to the empty seat on Edward's right.

"Hey," he greeted.

His eyes flickered up my bare legs as I moved towards him.

"Hi," I said.

"So anyway…" Tanya continued, but Edward turned away from her, accidently cutting her off.

"Let me see your schedule," he said to me.

My eyes flickered to Tanya's frown before I handed Edward my sheet and watched as he scanned through it.

"What classes do you have this year?" I asked tentatively.

"English, Trig, Politics, Chem, Gym and a free 6th," he said, turning to smile at me.

I glanced down at my schedule.

"We have almost all of the same classes," I said with a smile. "Only I have Politics for 2nd and you have it for 3rd."

"I know."

"Cool, huh?"

I watched Edward's lips pull up into his beautiful crooked smile as he appraised me.

"Not gonna get sick of me, are you?" he asked in a deep voice.

I felt a shiver run up my thighs, straight to my groin. I pressed my knees together involuntarily.

His gaze flickered to my legs and I blushed. He never missed anything.

"Never," I finally answered.

"Me either," he said with a knowing smile.

Edward reached down and placed his palm on my knee, giving me a gentle squeeze. Heat flooded my skin and I shivered again. I knew he felt it, but he didn't comment.

The room began to fill over the next couple of minutes. Alice was in our class too and I gave her a small wave so that she could come sit with us.

Alice took the empty seat beside me and immediately snatched up my schedule so that she could compare it to hers. We had Gym for 5th period together too.

"I bet the coach set that one up on purpose," Alice murmured as our teacher came in.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you know how she wants us to start practicing Tuesdays and Thursdays during our free 6th?"

I nodded.

"I bet she set our schedules up so that we have gym for 5th, that way we're all warmed up by the time practice starts."

I frowned.

"Tanya!" Alice hissed. "Let me see your schedule.

Tanya handed hers over without a word.

I glanced over Alice's arm. Sure enough, Tanya had Gym for 5th as well.

"Told ya," Alice mumbled with a wink.

I giggled and looked away.

English went by fast, as well as my other classes. And before I knew it, I was in 4th period Chemistry and there was only 20 minutes left on the clock before lunch.

My tummy was flipping nastily as I watched the minutes tick down. I had a note from Coach Wells crumpled in my fist, allowing me to be dismissed ten minutes early before lunch in order to prepare for the pep rally.

I clenched my eyes shut and forced myself to breathe just as Edward pressed his nose into my ear.

I jumped exaggeratedly.

"Relax," he soothed. "You're gonna be fine."

I nodded.

"Why are you so nervous? You were fine this morning."

I shook my head and shrugged. I had no idea where all of my smooth nonchalance went.

I felt Edward's fingers trail up my back beneath my jacket before he rubbed his palm between my shoulder blades. His touch did little to relax me. I knew he was trying to sooth me, but instead he was exciting me… in a different way.

I turned to glance at him out of the corner of my eye.

Edward smirked at me in return. My eyes roamed over his white teeth as they peeked out from between his full lips. I swallowed thickly.

"Bella!" Angela called softly for the desk behind me.

I turned my head in her direction, my eyes flickering to the clock.

"Lets go. We're gonna be late."

I shook my head. "We still have ten minutes," I whispered back to her.

I glanced back at Edward. He was watching me while trying unsuccessfully to hide his smile.

I frowned at him.

"You're gonna do fine," he reassured me. "You've been practicing for over a week. Don't be so nervous."

I nodded. He was right.

"You better get going. You don't want to pull a muscle."

I giggled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the shoulder before I stood up and followed Alice to the front of the class. I tugged at my skirt when I heard our classmates let out a few catcalls and some cheers when we stood up. We handed Mr. Banner our dismissal notes before we headed out into the cold September air.

"God, I'm so fucking nervous," I said to Angela as we jogged our way towards the gym.

"Don't be. You've got the routine down and its only gonna be two minutes. Seriously, it'll be done before you know it."

I nodded.

In the locker room, I hastily removed my jacket and tucked all of my belongings into my locker before I followed Angela up the stairs to the gym.

The entire squad was already there, stretching and talking amongst themselves.

The gym was decorated with a large white banner held high over the middle of the court. I glanced up proudly at the lame glittery decorations I helped create surrounding the words '_Welcome Trojans!'_ in teal paint. There were balloons and streamers and even some dudes working on the lighting fixtures. And the schools marching band was there, setting up their instruments, all dressed in their uniforms. I smiled at them and even gave a small wave. They all looked nervous, but still eager at the same time.

Today was supposed to be a welcome back orientation as well as a short speech from the head coaches, Clapp and Wells, as well as from our faculty, Principle Greene and Secretary Ms. Cope. I think there were even supposed to be a few encouraging speeches from some of the student body, those who were planning on running for Valedictorian this year. And at the end, a small dance from our very own cheerleading squad was supposed to take place.

"You ready for this?" Carmen asked me.

I glanced at her dark brown eyes. She was just as nervous as I was, being one of the newbie's with very little experience. She was sitting on the floor, stretching her legs.

I gave her a nod and forced a smile.

Fifteen minutes had never gone so fast before in my life. Before I knew it, the entire gym was packed with laughing students, talking teachers and loud tests from speakers, microphones and instruments. I was sitting beside Alice on one of the folding chairs in front of the bleachers, scanning the crowd for Edward.

"There they are," Alice hissed, pointing straight ahead of us.

He was walking with Jasper, Mike and Kirk, climbing the stairs to the top of the bleachers. Jasper caught me staring and elbowed Edward before offering Alice and I a wave. I grinned when Edward's head turned towards me. His eyes found me and then he threw his fists up above his head, already cheering me on. I blew him a small kiss. I saw him laugh as he reached out to catch it before pressing it to his chest. He looked kind of embarrassed while doing it, and I knew it was because his friends had probably said something rude to him under their breath.

The welcoming speeches began and dragged on for a total of thirty minutes before finally, our coach called us out of the gym to line up and prepare. I was trembling in my white Kaepa's. I wasn't necessarily worried about the routine, even though I had to do a toe touch right in the middle of it. I had gone over the dance many times and knew it by heart. No, it wasn't that. Being the center of attention for a whole two minutes was what had me practically peeing my pants.

"Ladies, ladies!" Coach Wells called out to us. "You know the drill. Stick it! Nothing hits the floor. If you fall, if you stumble, don't panic just carry on. I wanna see big beautiful smiles and lots of enthusiasm! I want you to go out there and bring it! Wake these kids up!"

"Yeah!" we all called in unison.

"Hands in!" Rosalie said with a smile.

We all gathered in a circle and stuck our hands on top of each other's.

"On three," Rose continued. "One, two…"

"Trojans!"

I heard Coach Clapp announce us in his usual bored voice, moments before the music picked up.

"Lets do this!" Wells said with so much excitement.

I swallowed my pride and ran out into the gym with the rest of my squad.

The lights were blinding as they glared down at us; blue, red, green and yellow. And it was loud, very loud. A roar of applause broke out just as we all came into view screaming "Yeah, Trojans! Let me hear ya! Woo! Trojans! Yeah! Forks High!"

I giggled and clapped and waved to all of the unfamiliar faces before I took my spot beside Lauren on the far left.

A remix of _I Love Rock and Roll_ by Joan Jett was blaring through the speakers as I crouched down in my ready position.

I bobbed my head in time with the music and sang under my breath.

"And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me, yeah me," I sang softly. "And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me, yeah me."

And then we began. I stood up, did my arms gestures and popped my hip. Step forward, step forward, swing the hips and the wrists.

The dance was pretty sexy, a little too sexy for my taste, especially paired with the song, but I didn't linger on the thought for long. I moved in time with the girls around me, bobbing my head, flipping my ponytail, swishing my hips, and clapping my hands over my thighs. Clap, high V, clap, tabletop, clap, front lunge, turn left, point, pop the butt, pop the chest…

Applause were erupting around us, urging us on as we danced and called out specific sections to the song.

"…So take your time and dance with me!" I yelled to the crowed.

My eyes flickered around and I caught sight of Edward. He was standing and bobbing his head, his hands held high as he clapped in time to the beat.

I giggled to myself as I crouched and then stood preparing for the Star Jump. Just two and then the toe touch.

I prepared myself. Five, six, seven, eight.

I jumped. One Jumping Joint… Two Jumping Joints…

_Come one, V-Up Straddles, don't fail me now!_

I prepared and then jumped, my legs instantly going wide as I reached for my toes.

_Shit_.

I knew what was coming before it happened.

I didn't get enough air. I wasn't high enough.

_No, no._

I landed hard and stumbled to the right, right into Lauren.

But before I was able to recover, or fall hard on my face, she shoved me hard in the ribs, pushing me to the left.

I stumbled again, my foot sliding on the slick gym floor, my fingers sweeping the ground as I fought to regain my balance. Eventually I did, but it felt like it took years.

I frowned, my face burning white hot from the inside out, as I glanced at Lauren.

She gave me a wickedly evil wink as she moved her arms. I picked up on where we were at on the routine and followed suit.

"And we'll be moving on and signing that same old song, yeah with me," I sang to myself.

The singing helped a little to distract me from what just happened, though I couldn't completely ignore the flames on my face as well as the bit of tears that stung my eyes. Of course I stumbled during my first public routine. How could I not?

I shook my head slightly, annoyed with myself for not preparing for this. I couldn't walk without tripping. Why did I think I could get through this without fucking up at least once?

"I love rock and roll, so come and take your time and dance with me."

I bowed into my ending pose, waiting for the song to cut. It did and was immediately followed by loud screams and the marching bands blaring triumph number. I sniffed and sat up, waving and forcing a smile. I glanced at Edward. He was smiling, cheering and clapping just like everyone else.

We left the gym in a cheering, waving, jumping mess; all smiles and happy gestures… but all of that ended as soon as we were out in the hall.

"What the fuck?" Lauren snapped at me.

"What?" I asked in false surprise.

"What do you mean, _what_? You almost fucked up the routine!"

"Lauren!" Rosalie scolded. "Relax, it wasn't a big deal."

"Yeah, easy for you to say. You didn't have Bella's big ass feet landing on your toes!"

"Calm down," I yelled back at her. "I barely even touched you before you knocked me out of your way!"

"Oh my God, you are so embarrassing!" Lauren mocked me. "Can't you do anything right?"

Her words were cutting and they pissed me off. I was ready to drop the F-Bomb.

"You know what—?"

"Hey!" Coach Wells screamed to us, successfully cutting me off. "What's going on out here?"

"Nothing," Rosalie said hastily. "The girls are just a little worked up."

"Yeah, because Bella fell on me," Lauren whined with a sour face.

"It happens, Lauren," Coach Wells frowned. "And its gonna happen a lot more often than that, so I suggest you get used to it."

I watched as the coach's eyes flickered to me.

"It's a pity about that save though, Bella. You're recovery time needs work."

I nodded and blushed even further.

"But things like this happen and we can't get all bent-out-of-shape when it does. We're a team and we're supposed to help each other." Wells rounded on Lauren now. "We're not supposed to shove our teammate off to the side and cause them to fumble and fend for themselves. That was a mishap I hope to never see you do again."

Lauren nodded, a phony sympathetic expression on her face.

I rolled my eyes. That shove was in no way an accident.

Soon after that, the entire gym was dismissed for 5th period, so I lingered behind in the gym, sitting cross-legged on my folding chair while I watching almost all of the students shuffle out of the gym. The only people who didn't leave were the cheer squad, the football team, the wrestling team and a handful of others. I glanced around as Coach Wells, Coach Clapp and a coach I was unfamiliar with started moving around taking roll call. I was in Coach Clapp's class again, along with Edward.

"Hey you," he said softly as he came to sit beside me.

I didn't meet his gaze. I was too embarrassed.

"The routine went well," he offered.

I huffed.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

I turned to glare at him.

He frowned in response.

"You know what's wrong. You saw what happened. Don't pretend you didn't."

I watched as he released a soft snort before he pulled me over his legs, onto his lap.

"Baby, you knew this kind of thing might happen," he whispered into my ear. "Why are you so pissed off?"

I shook my head, turning away.

"Seriously. You knew you would trip and stumble sometimes. You expected it. So, who gives a fuck? You're still cute and you still did great. You don't need to be the best cheerleader to have fun."

"I'm not saying I need to be the best cheerleader—" I hissed.

"But you're not saying you _don't_ need to be," he challenged. "Being you is what makes you so fucking great to watch. Who cares if you messed up? Own it."

I finally looked up into his eyes.

Beautiful green iris stared back at me, loving and encouraging and completely proud.

"I'm just embarrassed," I said.

"Don't be."

The feel of his arms around me, his body engulfing me, instantly brought some relief. He was right. Who cares if I screwed u?. I was going to screw up again and again, so I might as well get used to it now. And anyway, I knew I wasn't going to have to cheer at all of the pep rally's or games and stuff. So why cry about it?

"You should be my cheerleader," I murmured.

He ducked his head to brush his nose against mine, momentarily dazzling me.

"I already am," he said.

After an hour-long session of PE with nothing to do, we were all dismissed for the day, even the football team. Apparently, our coaches had to attend a faculty meeting after school, so we were all free to leave early.

"Let's go to my place!" Tyler said as we all made our way over to the parking lot. "Lets get some beers, I have some weed. Come on! We deserve it!"

I pulled the rubber band from my hair and dragged my fingers against my scalp.

"Why do we deserve it, Tyler?" Lauren asked with a flirty smirk.

I threw-up a little in my mouth.

"Because we don't have practice today and we all watched Bella trip during the pep rally! Who deserves a beer more than that girl over there!"

Tyler pointed at me with a wide grin on his face.

Edward arms around me tensed, immediately sensing my discomfort.

"No one." I said to Tyler. "You're right, no one deserves a beer more than I do. I'm in."

We all got to Tyler's fence about thirty minutes later with boxes of beer and eager smiles. I ignored Lauren the whole time. I was surprised that Tyler invited her, but apparently they were now seeing each other, unofficially.

Jumping the fence was much easier for me this time, easier than it ever had been. However, trying to maneuver around the short, snug cheerleading skirt was kind of a pain. Edward still followed me up and helped me over, but I soon discovered that I didn't need his help as much as I had the last time I had jumped the fence.

"Looks like those V-Up Straddles are giving me some nice biceps," I giggled at the top of the fence.

"What the fuck are V-Up Straddles?" Edward asked with wide eyes.

I giggled at him and climbed my way back down.

I had replaced my warm-up jacket with my grey zip-up hoodie, so I was already feeling much more comfortable, the thoughts of screwing up during the pep rally already a distant memory.

But of course, being friends with Mike and Tyler, my happiness didn't last long.

I was sitting with Rosalie and Alice, obviously five feet away from Lauren, Jessica and Angela, practically chugging down my second beer when I heard Mike roar with laughter. I glanced up and saw that he, Tyler, Kirk, and Emmett were all laughing and watching something on his iPhone.

Tyler's gaze met mine.

"Come here, Bella," he said. "You have to see this."

I glanced at Edward. He was sitting with Jasper, talking and taking hits from a pipe. He gave me a shrug before he got up and met me by Mike's side.

I glanced down into his phone and then groaned.

"You're an asshole, Mike," Edward said.

It was me… and the rest of the girls from the squad. Mike had recorded the entire routine from the pep rally this afternoon onto his phone. I watched as we all sat, hunched over in starting positions as the Joan Jett song played. And then we were moving. I couldn't stop watching myself; it was like watching a train wreck. At first, I really didn't look that bad, though I moved modestly in comparison to the other girls around me. Rosalie, Alice and Tanya were obviously the best, and they stood out in comparison. I watched as we all swished our hips and clapped our hands in unison, but still I couldn't help but notice how different my movements were in relation to the cheerleaders around me. I moved carefully and innocently, my hips barely swaying, my chest barely popping.

I was counting down the time and singing along in my head.

"Oh God," I groaned when I watched myself duck and prepare for the Jumping Joints. "Oh Christ."

I felt Edward's hand slide up my back as we watched.

And then I screamed from the sight of myself stumbling. Honestly, it looked worse that I imagined. And it honestly felt worse to watch than it had felt to actually experience it. I was so pathetic and I looked so fucking clumsy.

"_Oooo_…" someone said in the recording.

"_Daaaamn_…" said another voice. I could only imagine it was Tyler.

I watched myself land awkwardly before tripping into Lauren's space. And then I watched as she shoved me hard in the opposite direction.

I groaned. My hands were over my face and I was peeking though my fingers.

On Mike's screen, I saw my face instantly grow red with shame; however, I couldn't help but pat myself of the back for sucking it up and continuing.

"I need a cigarette," I said, turning away from the phone.

"It wasn't _thaaat_ bad," Mike teased.

"Yes it was," I argued. "It was worse than bad."

The boys all laughed, but Mike turned off his phone anyway.

"Here, Bella," Alice said. "I got some."

I reached out as she tossed me a pack of half-empty Camel Lights. I took one out, grabbed a lighter off of the empty box of beer and lit up.

Edward came over to my side, taking a seat beside me on Tyler's blue couch. His arm slid around my shoulders and I involuntarily settled into his side. Most of the evening went by fairly smoothly. Everyone was drinking and laughing and after an hour, Tyler withdrew a pack of playing cards and a large bottle of Jameson Whiskey and challenged the boys to a poker game. They ended up playing for money and shots.

I sat on Edward's lap most of the time, giggling as he played and won game after game. But eventually another bowl was being packed and passed around. I skipped out on it, settling for a cigarette here and there as I watched almost all of the boys get totally stoned. At this point, Edward was so sky high he began taking involuntary shots just to prove that he could hang longer than the rest of them. The amount of testosterone and male competition in the tiny garage was almost stifling.

"Bella!" Rosalie called from the small stereo.

I tried to stand from Edward's lap, but his arm tightened around my waist keeping me close.

"Where are you going?" Edward's voice was a little loud and raspy from the booze.

"Rosalie's calling me," I responded.

I watched Edward turn to peer at Rosalie through hooded eyes.

"All right," he said with a fake sneer.

I chuckled and kissed his cheek before I made my way over to her.

Rose was sitting with Alice. They were still dressed in their cheerleading uniforms as well.

"Looks like you're gonna have to drive your boy home tonight," Rosalie chuckled.

"I know," I said. I turned to glance at Edward over my shoulder.

Edward was in a fit of hysterics, doubled over with laughter along with Jasper, Eric, Emmett, Mike, Tyler and Kirk. Lauren was there as well, resting her hands on either side of Tyler as she stood behind him. He seemed to be ignoring her though. I watched as she leaned down to whisper in his ear, seconds before he jerked away from her to yell something out to Mike.

"What should we listen to?" Alice asked. She was flipping through a CD case filled with burned albums.

I took the case from her and scanned the messy writing on each cover.

"How about some Sublime?" I laughed. "Seems appropriate."

"Oh! Let me choose the song!" Rosalie shrieked. She was stoned too.

Rosalie placed the disk in the compartment and turned to track 15.

"Oh my, God," Rosalie continued. "Watch this." She hit 'Play.'

After a couple of seconds I heard Emmett release some incomprehensible expression before he called out Edward's name.

"Edward! Bro, bro!" Emmett laughed. "…Just wipe that look off your bati face…" he sang. "You hate me cause I got what you need, a pretty little daughter that we call Mexi, and if you wanna get beat physically it will be over in a minute if ya…" he paused and pointed to Edward, a huge stupid grin plastered across his broad face.

"So she told me to come over and I took that trip…" Edward sang as he bobbed his head to the beat. "And then she pulled out my mushroom tip. And when it came out it went drip, drip, drip. I didn't know she had that G.I. Joe, kung-foo grip…"

More laughter broke out at their table as they all gave each other fist bumps and high fives.

"Ew…" I said as I turned to Rosalie.

And then I burst out laughing because her face mirrored mine; scrunched up in distaste.

"En el otro lado, es donde vivi, con mi'hijita, que se llama Mexi," Emmett continued in Spanish.

"Looks like that Spanish class paid off," I said to Rosalie.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Honestly, I don't think there's anything more silly than someone who doesn't know Spanish to start rapping in Spanish."

I giggled at her and turned back to the boys.

"Hey, Emmett?" Rosalie called out. "Do you even know what you're singing?"

"Na," Emmett responded with a laugh.

A little while after the song ended, I made my way back to Edward's lap, already feeling needy without his company.

"Hey, baby," he greeted smoothly as I took my seat on his warm thighs.

I giggled when his hand slid up my back.

I placed my hand on his cheek and peered into his sleepy eyes. I could tell he was very drunk. His eyes were red and glassy and his breath smelled strongly of alcohol and weed. It was the most drunk I'd ever seen him. Actually, I had never seen Edward really drunk before.

I brushed my thumb along the blush over his cheekbone and then across his full bottom lip. He smirked beneath my touch and leaned forward to kiss me. He even tasted like beer and whiskey.

"Bella," Tyler said from across the table.

I dropped my hold on Edward's lips to turn and glance at Tyler. His eyes were just as red as Edward's, yet he looked a little more stable.

"You look pretty good in your cheerleader outfit," Tyler continued once I met his gaze.

My eyes flickered to Lauren who stood behind him. I watched her face fall in disapproval.

"Watch your mouth," Edward snapped from beside me.

The tone in his voice made me jump.

"What, man?" Tyler said with a nonchalant wave. "I'm just stating the obvious. I know she's yours."

"I don't want you looking at her like that," Edward shot back.

I turned towards Edward. His gaze was steady as he stared Tyler down.

"Look," Tyler continued. "I know you love the girl. I've known it since her second day of school, man."

"What do you mean?" I asked, unable to hide my instant curiosity.

"Ever since that day you came over here," Tyler said. "I remember Ed talking about you after that night. _'Aw man. Bella. She so fuckin' cute, man. And those lips. She smells so good…'_" I listened to how Tyler mocked Edward's deep voice.

I blushed.

"Fuck you, Tyler," Edward snapped. "I didn't talk about her like that."

"Yeah you did. Ed, I knew you were sprung off Bella since the first day you saw her, man. Bella, I invited this guy over to my place to get high and all he talked about was you. He was so stoned; he didn't care what the fuck came out of his mouth. _'Damn, her eyes, man. She has some gorgeous eyes. And her body, the way it feels against me... Bella this, Bella that…'_"

"Fuck you, asshole," Edward suddenly snapped.

Before I even knew what was going on, Edward had pushed me off of his lap and was on his feet, charging towards Tyler. Edward's entire demeanor was hostile. Jasper and Emmett had to jump up and position themselves between the two friends.

"You are such a fucking cock-sucker. Who do you think you are?" Edward yelled drunkenly.

"I'm sorry, man," Tyler laughed. He was still in his chair. "I had to tell her. I've been dying to tell her."

I watched as Edward tried to force his way towards Tyler.

"Edward," I called softly.

I couldn't help but stare in surprise when he actually stopped fighting his friends to turn and face me.

"What, Bella?" he asked angrily.

"Don't be so mad," I said shakily.

"He has a big fucking mouth. What the fuck, Tyler?"

"I'm sorry, man," Tyler said again through fits of laughter. "But do you remember when I had to ask her for you…?"

"Na, fuck you!" Edward said, turning towards the door now.

"No, wait!" Tyler said, a little more seriously now.

I watched as Tyler pushed passed Japer and Emmett to grab Edward's arm, which he repeatedly tried to shrug off.

"Wait, Ed," Tyler continued. "Do you remember when I had to ask her for you?"

Edward shook his head. I couldn't tell if he was saying no because he didn't remember or no because he didn't want to hear it.

"That night," Tyler urged. "At Alice's house. You asked me to ask her if she had a boyfriend back home. You were so fucking curious and being such a pussy about it. Remember when I walked in on you guys making out?"

I gasped. I remembered that night so clearly. That was the night when Edward kissed me in Alice's kitchen and Tyler interrupted us. I remembered excusing myself to the bathroom and then catching them in the middle of a conversation when I came back out.

"I remember," I said with a laugh. "You asked me when I went up stairs to call my mom back."

"Yeah!" Tyler laughed, pointing at me now. "I asked if you were calling your boyfriend!"

I watched a small smirk pull at Edward's lips.

"You were such a creeper about it," I giggled. "I remember thinking that you were acting really strange. You freaked me out."

Tyler doubled over in another fit of laugher and I watched as Edward's angry mask finally cracked and he too joined in. I smiled, happy to see him relax a bit.

"Aww… see?" Alice said, stepping in. "No need to get all angry."

"Na, but I'm still pissed that you got to her first, Ed," Tyler added with a pat to Edward's back. "She sure is a cutie, that one."

Edward's face immediately transformed from laughter into anger in a millisecond.

"Are you retarded?" I shot angrily at Tyler. "Seriously."

I watched as Edward finally yanked his arm out of Tyler's grasp before he turned and pushed through the side door, muttering "Dick," under is breath.

I didn't linger to hear Tyler's response before I hastily followed Edward out into the cold night air.

"Edward!" I called out hesitantly. It was so dark I could barely see him.

"I'm right here," he snarled. He was standing down the path, near the trees.

I hurried over to his side.

"I'm so fuckin' pissed off right now, Bella. I just wanna go," he said as she began to trudge through the thick underbrush towards the fence.

I didn't say anything. I just followed quietly beside him.

We reached the fence and began climbing together. Edward took it slow, climbing carefully beside me until we reached the top. At the top, he swung his legs over and jumped immediately to the ground. I had to suppress a shriek of terror as I watched him fall.

He landed on his feet, but fell in a small roll onto his butt and then back, breaking the impact.

"Are you ok?" I gasped.

"I'm fine," he laughed. "Jump. I'll catch you."

"Yeah right." I climbed my way down instead.

Edward laughed the entire time, his mood already starting to lighten.

"You ok?" I asked. "You're mood swings are giving me whiplash."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You weren't fine a minute ago."

"Yeah… but seeing you climb a fence in that little skirt makes me feel better."

I glanced up to see Edward's eyes roam over my bare legs.

"Stop," I laughed. I threw a shove at his shoulder as I tried to playfully push him away from me.

My strength did nothing against him.

"Give me your keys," I said as he we made our way towards the Volvo.

"Why?"

"Because I'm gonna drive," I said.

"Na, I'll drive," he argued.

"Edward. You're stoned and you're very, very drunk. I'm not letting you drive like this."

We had reached the Volvo, but I deliberately made my way over to the driver's side.

"I can think of a few things that might sober me up," Edward said as he followed me around the car.

I turned to face him.

Edward's expression was a mixture of excitement and hunger as he peered down at me. The look in his eyes instantly set my body on fire. My gaze slid over him. From his long full legs, to his wide shoulders hidden beneath his black zip-up, and his crooked smile. I rubbed my knees together unconsciously and watched as his eyes flickered to my legs.

"I know what you want, baby," he said in a deep raspy voice. "I always know what you want."

His hands slid up the car on either side of my body, pinning me.

"Edward," I gasped softly.

"Come on, baby," he said as he pressed his hips against mine. I could feel his erection through his pants and my skirt. "I'll make you feel so good."

I swallowed thickly from his words.

"Don't you like my dick in you?" he asked.

I blushed and dropped my gaze.

"Or do you want my mouth instead?"

I shivered against him as my heart rate pick up. I could smell his sweet delicious scent that was all him, tinged with alcohol and weed.

"Na…" he murmured huskily. "You want my dick, don't you? You like it better when I'm inside of you…"

"Edward," I groaned.

"Yeah, I know how you like it, Bella. I know how you want it..." His gaze was smoldering and intense, making me a shaky, horny mess against the Volvo.

I took another deep breath and could instantly smell the alcohol rolling off of him. I had clear my head. I had to remind myself that he was drunk, way too drunk for sex.

"Edward," I said a little more sternly now. "Give me your keys, or I'm walking home."

I watched his eagerness slowly fade to annoyance.

"Bella, you don't even know how to drive stick."

Both of our eyes flashed to his crotch before we burst out laughing. Both of our minds were equally on one thing, and one thing only.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**The song Edward and Emmett are singing in Tyler's garage is called **_**Caress Me Down **_**by Sublime. Lol**

**Also, I did a little research on cheerleading uniforms and there is one in particular I found that actually mirrored what I imagined in my head. It's a white and red University of South Carolina Gamecocks custom cheerleading uniform. Look it up. Google it. I imagine the Forks High cheerleaders to wear something like this except in white and teal. Go look it up. The woman wearing the uniform is holding up a sign that says 'STAND UP & YELL.' lol If you don't want to look it up, just let me know and I'll post the image on my profile.**

**So… yeah. Leave me some REVIEWS. ;)**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	37. Chapter 37: Consequences

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 37: Consequences**

"Bella, there's a stop sign… Bella, it's starting to rain… Bella, slow down a bit…"

My gaze flickered to the dash. I was going 35 mph.

"Edward, its fine. Relax."

"Slow down," he urged. "You're going too fast."

I glanced over at him, surprised by how tense he was. His right hand was gripping the assist handle above his head while his left arm hovered in front of my chest. I assumed it was to brace me in case I hit something.

"Stop," I whined angrily as I pushed his arm away from me.

"Bella, if you would just slow down I'd stop freaking out…"

I dropped to a crawling 25 mph.

"Happy?" I asked.

"Yes."

I saw Edward visibly relax from the corner of my eye before he turned towards the stereo. His profile looked lovely in the faint flow from the dashboard. I watched him for a moment, my gaze roaming over his perfect nose and full lips as he chewed casually on a piece of cinnamon gum. Very few could make gum look that good.

I watched him flip through various stations before landing on KDay.

A song was on, a slow beat with some humming followed by a rap; a song I'd never heard before.

"Ohhh… " Edward exclaimed happily. "That's the jam!"

I giggled at his drunken lingo.

"Shorty get down, good Lord… Baby got 'em open all over town. Strictly bitch, you don't play around. Cover much ground, got game by the pound." Edward's voice was thick with soul as he sang openly and freely in the comfort of his car. I couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes as he continued to sing, his gaze fixed on me as he bounced his shoulders from side to side and pointed towards my chest.

"Getting paid is a forte, each and every day, true player way…" he continued with a wide smile. "I can't get her out of my mind… I think about the girl all the time…"

I burst out laughing when he twirled his fingers in a circle around his head as if in a daze.

He continued this way for the remainder of the drive back to his house; singing along to old rap songs and dancing in the passenger seat.

But like all good things, it came to an end when we pulled into his driveway.

"See? Safe and sound. You had nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say," he laughed. "You drive like a maniac."

"I do not!" I argued.

"Yes you do! You were swaying all over the place… Stackin' up the cash, fast when it came to the gas. By no means average, she's on when she's got to have it… Baby you're a perfect ten, I wanna get in… can I get down, so I can win?"

His words slowly turned from honest Edward talk to the rap we had listened to only moments ago. I giggled again from his drunken silliness and then squirmed away from him when his hands reached out to rub up my thighs.

"What song is that?" I asked as we climbed out of his car.

"What?" he looked at me surprised. "You've never heard that song before?"

"Nope."

"_No Diggity!_ Blackstreet!"

"Is… that supposed to mean something?" I asked confused.

"Its called _No Diggity_ by Blackstreet, baby."

I laughed again from the look on his face.

"Damn. How have you never heard that song? Even I've heard it in Ass-Crack-Forks."

"Calm down," I teased.

I reached out for Edward's hand and pulled him towards his front door. It was just after 8 and I could see that his parents were already home.

"Act sober or you're gonna get us both in trouble," he whispered hastily to me.

I chuckled and rang the doorbell before making sure my skirt was flat and covering everything.

"Ohhh… Now we're in trouble," he hissed with a wink.

The front door swung open and there was Carlisle.

"Hi," I said with a small smile.

Carlisle's eyes flickered up to Edward before he turned to me. I smiled again, knowing he wouldn't be too upset because I was completely sober.

"How did you get here?" he asked. The tone in his voice surprised me. I could tell he was trying to hide his anger.

"I drove, Mr. Cullen," I said, my smile slowly fading.

I watched Carlisle's gaze shift back to Edward.

"Don't you have work tonight?" he asked.

"No," Edward said. All of the humor in his voice was gone now. "I changed my schedule for school."

"You're drunk," Carlisle stated angrily.

"Yup."

I gulped from the obvious tension in the air.

"You're underage," Carlisle said.

"Yup."

"You think this is a joke?"

"No, but I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself."

"Apparently not if your sixteen-year-old girlfriend is driving you home."

I glanced up and saw Edward's jaw clench tightly. This was not how I anticipated this situation to go down. I honestly figured Carlisle wouldn't be so angry. After all, the boys, especially Emmett, often went home drunk after a night of partying. Right?

"Sir?" I spoke up. "A few of our friends were having a little… um… party, you see. And Edward had a couple of drinks. I know it was wrong considering he's not twenty-one yet, but I drove us home safely so…"

"You didn't drive yourself home, Bella," Carlisle interrupted me. "You drove your adult boyfriend home. You, on the other hand, now have to find your own way home."

"Don't talk to her like that," Edward snapped.

I reached out and gripped his balled up fist. His anger was something I was slowly starting to become aware of. I found myself sensing it, expecting it. His moods shifted every time something negative was directed towards me. It was a pattern I was starting to catch on to… just like at Tyler's place.

"It's fine," I whispered to him.

"No it isn't, you're not his daughter," Edward said to me.

"That's right," Carlisle added. "You're not, Bella. But Chief Swan is your father and I'm sure he wouldn't be too thrilled to hear about this."

"Well, I plan on calling him myself, Mr. Cullen," I said. "Its my responsibility to tell my father where I am and call on him if I need a ride home. And that's what I'm going to do."

I watched Carlisle's eyebrows rise in obvious surprise.

"My father trusts me, sir. We communicate. He wouldn't be upset about this situation, not if I confide in him. Not if I told the truth."

I watched Carlisle's eyes flicker to Edward once more.

"You have to get up early tomorrow," Carlisle said to Edward. "You should go to bed."

Edward gave his dad a stiff nod before he turned to me.

"When are you calling Charlie?" Edward asked in a low voice, obviously dismissing his father.

"Now," I said. "Can I use your bathroom?"

"Yeah." Edward wrapped his hand around mine before he pushed his way past Carlisle.

"Is this ok?" I asked Carlisle as Edward towed me forcefully behind me.

Carlisle gave me a small nod before he turned towards the kitchen.

Reaching Edward's bedroom, I immediately ran to the sink in his bathroom.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Washing my face."

I used a bit of his Clean and Clear face wash and some of his toothpaste to quickly wash up before I turned back towards him.

"I need your phone," I said. "I left mine in my bag."

"Who are you calling?" he asked as he handed me his iPhone.

"Charlie."

"You're seriously calling Charlie?" His eyes were wide with horror.

"Trust me," I soothed.

The phone rang once… twice…

"_Edward?"_ Charlie's voice was alarmed on the other line.

"Hi, dad. Its me," I said.

"_Bell? Where's your phone?"_

"Its in my bag in Edward's car. Look, dad, I need a ride home. I'm at Edward's house."

"_Why? Did something happen? Are you all right?"_ I could hear the nervousness rise again.

"No, no, of course not. Edward's just… he had a drink today and we both know that it would be very irresponsible of him to drive me home now."

My gaze flickered to Edward. He was watching me with wide eyes, looking absolutely drunk and terrified.

"Relax." I moved my mouth without words before I reached out and placed my palm against his cheek.

He relaxed instantly.

"_All right, Bell. I'm on my way. Be ready when I get there."_

"Sure, sure."

I hung up and turned back towards Edward.

"You need to change," I said to him. "I want you to be there when Charlie gets here, but I don't want you to smell like weed. Change your clothes."

I watched as Edward instantly pulled his shirt and hoodie over his head before darting towards his dresser and pulling on a clean white t-shirt and fresh cotton V-neck sweater.

"How come you never wear that?" I asked, eyeing the sleek black of the thin cotton fabric.

"Cause its lame," Edward said with a laugh.

"No its not. It looks good on you."

Edward rolled his eyes and pulled on the beanie Esme had made for him.

I smiled, knowing he was trying his best to look clean and somewhat sophisticated.

"You look nice," I said.

Edward turned to look at me before he leaned down to give me a chaste kiss.

"Oh! But you need to brush your teeth," I gasped.

He laughed and hastily brushed his teeth before adding some Visine to his eyes.

"Is Carlisle really mad at you?" I asked tentatively.

Edward shrugged before he grabbed my hand a led me towards his door.

We left his room, and after a small glare from Carlisle's direction, we headed out towards Edward's Volvo to grab my things and wait for Charlie. I pulled on my blazer just as Charlie arrived. I watched as he pulled into the Cullen's driveway before he instantly climbed out of the cruiser to get a good look at Edward. Thankfully Edward was able to hold it together and act as sober as possible.

"Hey, man," Edward said.

I rolled my eyes. Ok, he wasn't acting _that_ sober.

"Hey, dude," Charlie joked. "How much did you drink there?"

"Uh… a few shots… with some friends," Edward answered semi-honestly. I watched him scratch the back of his neck nervously.

"A few shots, huh? Whose booze?" Charlie interrogated.

"Uh… Tyler's maybe? We were just being… idiots. Sorry about that, sir."

My eyes flickered nervously to Charlie, awaiting his reaction.

He huffed. "How'd you two get here?" I didn't miss the way Charlie's eyes darted towards the Volvo.

"I drove," I said. "Phil taught me back in Phoenix."

Charlie nodded.

"My little girl is driving her drunk boyfriend home now," Charlie snapped. "Not what I expected from you, Bell."

His words hit home and I watched Edward's face fall.

"Its my fault, Charlie," Edward said sternly. "I'm the asshole. I'm got drunk with my friends and Bella was nice enough to drive me home instead of letting me wait to sober up on my own. It won't happen again."

"Yeah, I've heard that before," Charlie countered.

"Well, it won't. I care about your daughter, sir."

"I've heard that one too."

"Dad," I hissed defensively.

"He's right, Bella," Edward said. "He's right. I shouldn't have gotten drunk, I shouldn't have put that kind of responsibility on you, I shouldn't have hurt you; I shouldn't have ever broken up with you… Jesus, Christ. The list goes on…"

I glanced up, horror struck. He was blaming himself again.

I rounded on him, pushing him away from my father and back towards his porch.

"Stop," I said in a shaky whisper. "Please stop blaming yourself."

"No, Bella," he urged. "All I do is fuck up. Did you see the way Carlisle looked at me? I'm just a big disappointment. I make everyone mad, I hurt everyone's feelings, I make everyone pissed off… fuck, and now I'm whining like a little bit— baby."

Edward yanked his beanie off his head before he turned towards his house, but I reached out and gripped his arm before he was able to take more than a step away from me.

"Hey!" I hissed. "Look at me."

He turned sideways, but kept his eyes averted.

"We screwed up, we're kids. There's no reason for you to get so upset over it. Its ok."

"I am not a kid anymore, Bella," Edward said under his breath. "And I shouldn't be getting you into trouble. Christ, I'm lucky your dad even lets me see you. You're under age."

I frowned at him; shocked by the wall he was putting up between us. Shocked by his anger and pain. I thought we were passed all that. I couldn't understand why he was blaming himself so much. Tearing himself down.

"You're drunk," I murmured.

"You gotta go, Bella. I'll talk to you later," he shot back to me. "Go with your dad. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Stop it!" I snapped. "You're being silly. You're drunk. Stop acting like this, no one is mad at you."

"Bella," Charlie's voice cut through the air, right through our little bubble.

I jumped and turned towards Charlie's voice. I had forgotten he was even there.

"Bella, we have to go. Let Edward sleep it off."

I saw Edward shake his head in defeat, obviously humiliated by the situation.

I turned away from Charlie and pulled Edward's face down towards me.

"I love you," I whispered close to his lips. "I don't want you to hurt. I don't want you to be upset. I love you."

Edward's brows pulled forward in a deep frown before he slowly nodded.

"Tell me you love me," I said.

"I love you."

"Tell me you're not angry anymore."

"I'm not angry anymore."

"Tell me you'll pick me up for school tomorrow."

"I'll pick you up for school tomorrow."

I let my fingers brush over his cheekbones and temples. His expression was so tired, so sad, so defeated. I hated seeing him this way. I knew part of the reason he was being so emotionally unstable was because of the weed and alcohol, but I couldn't help but assume that there was more going on beneath the surface. There were things that he was dealing with that he never talked about. But I couldn't figure out what those things were. All I knew was that something was there. Something bad and every time he was thrown into confrontations, it would find its way out. Tainting the sweet, loveable, happy person he usually was. This whole thing made me feel like I was going in circles, dizzily trying to find my way through the dark that was Edward's mind.

"Kiss me," I said softly.

Edward pressed his forehead to mine before he grabbed my face and pressed his lips to me. We kissed gently; just feeling our lips move slowly against each other.

"I love you, Bella," he said softly.

"I know."

I heard Charlie clear his throat and knew that was my cue.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said.

Edward nodded slowly before finally letting me go.

Charlie helped me put my bags in the back seat before we climbed into the cruiser. We watched Edward climb the steps to his house before we turned around and headed back home.

"How was your first day?" Charlie asked casually.

I shrugged and turned to peer out of the passenger window.

"Not talking to me now?" he teased.

"I'm really upset with you," I snapped.

"Explain."

"You were really mean to Edward tonight…"

"I have the right to be. You are my daughter. How am I supposed to react in a situation like this? How am I supposed to know you are safe when your boyfriend is out getting intoxicated instead of taking care of you?"

"I _was_ safe!" I argued.

"No. He was intoxicated, Bella. I could arrest him for underage drinking."

"Oh my, God. Are you serious? I called you tonight because I thought that by being honest with you, you wouldn't judge me _or_ Edward. I thought that you'd be on our side!"

"Don't yell at me, Bella. I am on your side, but you are just a kid. You need to understand that there are boundaries that Edward and even _you_ are not allowed to cross. I put up with that fact that you might go out and have a cigarette or have a beer with your friends. Hell, I was sixteen once too, so I try to put up with that crap. But I will not put up with Edward getting _drunk_ when he is supposed to be taking care of you."

"Dad, I am not his responsibility. I am my own person. I make my own decisions."

"You don't understand, Bella. Edward and I had a conversation about this before he turned eighteen. We talked about your relationship and he promised me that he would always take on _full_ responsibility when you are with him and I gave him my blessing. He _is_ responsible for you when you are out at night with your friends… and especially when you are alone with him."

"Oh my, God!" I yelled again.

"We are not having this conversation anymore, Bell. I've said what I needed to say and I expect you both to treat me with some respect."

"We do respect you, dad."

"Yeah, well I'm not happy about this. Not at all. Edward needs to learn that this world doesn't revolve around him."

"He knows that, why do think he's beating himself up over it."

"That boy has some things he needs to work out."

I stayed quiet, up until we finally climbed out of his cruiser.

"So what are you saying? I can't see him anymore?"

"I'm not saying that at all," Charlie snapped defensively. "I like the kid, Bell. You know that. I know he doesn't mean any harm and I know he is always considerate of you… but I also think that there should be consequences. There are lines you do not cross with me, and this was one of them. I don't ever want to see this happen again, at least not until you are of age. So you're grounded."

"I'm grounded?"

"Yes. Grounded. And if I could, I would ground Edward too."

I stared at Charlie with wide eyes as he pulled my bags over his shoulders and marched towards the front door.

"What does that even mean?" I asked. I had never been grounded before.

"It means, you are not allowed to go out at night after school with Edward or your friends anymore. Not until I feel that I can trust you two again."

I followed Charlie into the kitchen with my mouth still hanging open.

"You hungry?" he asked as he opened the refrigerator.

I nudged Charlie out of the way and pulled out some butter, cheese and tomatoes before I turned towards the pantry and withdrew some bread. I remained quiet while I turned on the stove and began heating a skillet before I turned back towards the cheese and tomatoes.

"Are you mad at him?" I asked as I began slicing the block of cheddar.

"No," Charlie said softly. He was sitting at the kitchen table, watching me work.

"Are you gonna let me see him?"

"Yes."

"Can he still come over after school?"

"Yes, Bella."

I layered the cheese and tomatoes between two slices of bread before I popped some butter into the pan. After a few minutes, I sat with Charlie at the table while we quietly ate our grilled cheese sandwiches.

"I need to call him," I said. "I know he's beating himself up over this."

"I was a little surprised to see him blaming himself over everything that happened between you two," Charlie said sympathetically. "I thought he'd gotten over it by now."

"Me too. I don't know what's up with him. He's… I don't know. He's always so happy, but every once in a while he just snaps."

"Snaps?"

I glanced up and caught Charlie watching me expectantly.

"He kind of got into a fight with Tyler today," I said.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. He… Tyler was a little…"

"Drunk."

"Yeah and he started bringing stuff up. Like how Edward used to talk about me before we were together. Edward got really defensive over it."

"Was he jealous of the way Tyler was talking about you?" Charlie asked.

"I don't think so. I mean, Tyler didn't really say anything bad. He was just kind of making fun of the way Edward used to talk about me. I was flattered honestly, which is why I'm so surprised by Edward's sudden outburst."

"Maybe he has issues with confiding in people," Charlie said.

I glanced up again, surprised by his empathy.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Maybe he told Tyler those things in confidence and then got overly upset when Tyler told you in front of everyone. Its obvious Edward is a very private person, kind of like me. I see some of myself in him sometimes."

"I guess…"

"Its not easy for a guy to be vulnerable, Bella. Maybe that's his problem."

"Yeah… that makes sense. But still, it was like flipping a switch. One minute he's laughing, and the next he's blowing up. And then he's laughing again, and then he blowing up again. All because of something Tyler would say."

"Is he scaring you?"

"No," I answered honestly. "He doesn't scare me. I know he would never hurt me or anything."

"But you think there's something wrong."

"I think… I think he's having trouble dealing with confrontation. Or maybe situations where he's…"

"Vulnerable."

"I think he's afraid of being vulnerable."

Charlie nodded, but said nothing. I figured he didn't have anymore to say. I sat with him for another half hour, watching him finish his second sandwich while I thought over our conversation.

"I'm gonna go to bed," I said a little while later. "I have to get up early."

"Yeah," Charlie mumbled as he got up to wash our dishes.

I turned to leave the kitchen.

"Uh… thanks for talking to me, Bell. I know it might be hard cause I'm your ol' man and all. But I'm glad that you feel like you can confide in me."

I turned around and gave Charlie a smile.

I texted Edward that night before bed, but got very small replies He told me he was tired and already in bed, so I wished him a good night.

The next morning, I woke up way too early, having had nightmares all night. It was the same nightmare again; the reoccurring one, the one I hated to think about once I'd woken up.

I showered and dressed quickly, taking extra time on my hair and makeup before pulling on my black tights under my school uniform. I tugged repeatedly on the short pleated skirt as I gazed at myself in my long mirror.

My uniform still fit me, but I had forgotten how short the skirt was.

I pulled on my black boots and my teal blazer before I went down stairs to make some toast and coffee while I waited for Edward.

Charlie came down a half hour later, looking exhausted, more so than usual.

"Bad night?" I asked.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep."

"How come?"

Charlie's gaze flickered to me.

I frowned, but didn't press for answers.

"Edward picking you up for school?"

"Yeah. He should be here any minute." I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich wrapped in a napkin for him.

Charlie nodded. "Do you have practice today?"

"Yeah. I should be home by 6."

"Does Edward work?"

"No. He works on Wednesday's and on the weekend now."

We were interrupted by Edward's soft horn.

"I'll see you tonight," I said to Charlie as I reached for my bag.

I walked out into the brisk morning air, glancing around. I groaned, noticing how thick the fog was. I had gotten used to the summer in the Forks. The usual low 70's. But now that Fall was here, the temperatures had been dropping to 50's or even 40's early in the morning or late at night.

I reached Edward's Volvo and quickly climbed in to the warm leather seat.

"Hey," I greeted as I leaned over the E-brake to kiss him.

Edward gave me his cheek before he pulled out of my driveway and headed towards school.

"You ok?" I asked tentatively.

He gave me a small shrug.

"I talked to Charlie last night," I said. "He's not mad at you."

"Great." Edward's voice was low and emotionless.

"What's wrong?" I pressed.

"Nothing's wrong. Just tired."

I frowned, but let the topic drop.

We pulled into the school parking lot a little early, so Edward let his car idle while we settled back to wait out the next twenty minutes.

"I brought you breakfast," I mumbled softly.

I pulled out the wrapped sandwich.

Edward's eyes flickered to my hands before landing on my face and I watched his hard expression immediately soften. His gaze roamed over my face, before settling on my eyes.

I gazed back at him, taking in his wet disheveled hair, his scratchy cheeks and the bruise-like circles beneath his eyes.

"You didn't sleep much," Edward stated.

"Neither did you."

He gave me a small smirk before he reached for the sandwich.

The day passed fairly quickly. Much of my classes were with Edward, so I spent most of my time looking at him, studying his expressions and comments instead of taking notes. I was trying to see if he was still angry or sad, but I didn't do a very good job reading him. I did know one thing for sure, though. The wall was back. He was hiding behind it, brushing what he was really feeling beneath the rug. I knew he was doing it unconsciously, so I didn't press… not yet.

Edward didn't talk much during most of the day, but he at least was still very affectionate with me. He touched me a lot on my knees, my shoulders, my lower back, my face. He gave me kisses in between classes and sometimes rubbed his nose against my temple. But he didn't really speak.

We were at lunch now, sitting at our usual lunch table with our growing group of friends. Lauren was there now, sitting beside Tyler and giving me dirty looks. It didn't really bother me too much anymore, I was already becoming used to her stink eye.

I took a bite of my bagel.

"Can I have some?" Edward whispered into my ear.

His arm was draped around me and his chin was resting on my shoulder.

I smirked. "I thought you weren't hungry."

"I wasn't."

I moved my bagel in front of his mouth and watched as he took a large bite, devouring almost half of it. I giggled and took another bite after him.

"Good?" I asked.

He smirked and licked his lips.

"Don't forget we have practice after school," Rosalie called out to us.

We all nodded in unison.

When the bell rang, we all walked together towards the gym. Gym was interesting because I actually had Edward in my class. We spent the hour playing volleyball, but I used that time to hover in the background to watch Edward spike the ball or take the shots that were meant for me.

His mood seemed to lighten a bit once he was on the court. A distraction, I guessed. He was running around and laughing when Alice got hit on the head with a flying ball.

Once Gym was over, we all walked out onto the football field to prepare for practice. Edward had his large gym bag with him and I watched as he pulled out his shoulder pads and helmet.

"See you after practice," he said softly.

He turned and gave me quick kiss on the lips before he marched off towards his side of the field with his teammates.

I turned towards the girls and set my stuff down before stretching.

"Good afternoon, Ladies," Coach Wells greeted us. "Don't forget we have an away game this Friday against the Nooksack Pioneers."

"Shit," I hissed under my breath. "I totally forgot. How did I forget?"

I needed to ask Charlie to sign my permission slip.

"No idea," Carmen answered from beside me. "It's been on my mind constantly."

I grimaced, feeling bad for the newbies. I wasn't going to have to cheer, luckily, so I spent most of practice going over minor sections of the routine before running errands for the Coach. There was some paperwork that had to be filed and a lot of preparation that had to take place. So, I spent most of the day running around the campus talking to various faculty members, turning in parental permission slips and finishing up the details on welcome banners.

I spent a lot of my time watching Edward as well. The team was going over various game plays and I watched Emmett throw the ball to Edward over and over before he darted off towards the end zone. He was very fast. I watched with wide eyes as other players chased after him, hurtling themselves at his body, trying their best to stop him.

At around 5:30, practice ended and we all headed for the showers. I showered quickly and met up with Edward outside of the gym. His hair was wet and he was wearing his white t-shirt beneath his blazer.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

He nodded once before taking my hand and heading towards his car.

We drove to Charlie's in silence and I felt myself grow slightly worried. His once semi-happy mood from Gym was now long gone and all that was left was his silent brooding.

He parked on the curb, letting the car idle.

"Are you coming in?" I asked casually. I tried to keep the nervousness out of my voice.

"Not tonight, Bella," he murmured dryly.

"Edward," I urged. "I don't want to wait alone."

I knew I was pushing him, but what else could I do? He was being distant, thinking deeply about what had happened last night.

"I don't know," he sighed.

"Come on. What are you gonna do, go home and sit by yourself on your bed?" I giggled. "Wouldn't it be a lot more fun to just… I don't know, cuddle instead? Maybe kiss a little or even… do some other stuff?"

Edward's gaze flickered to mine and I watched him suppress a smirk.

"Come on, Edward."

And then I grabbed my bags and I walked over towards the front door. I smiled when I heard his engine shut off and the small shut from his door.

I let myself into the house and dropped my bags in the entryway before I marched my way silently up the stairs to my room.

Edward followed silently after me. And once we were in my room, I turned on the radio to the Zombie's album Edward let me borrow before I shrugged out of my blazer.

Edward was standing by my bedroom door, quietly sulking while he watched me.

I let him watch. Once my blazer and boots were off, I slowly removed my socks and then my shirt. My hair was a little damp from my shower and the coolness of my stands tickled my bare shoulders and back.

Edward's eyes roamed over my exposed torso, over my thin white bra and bare tummy.

Slowly, I slid my hands up my thighs, beneath my skirt and then carefully removed my underwear. I kept my eyes on Edward, relishing in the way his eyes glazed over with desire when he saw my red thin panties hit the floor. I stepped out of them, before reaching behind my back for the clasp on my bra. I let that fall to the ground as well, and then just stood there, party naked while he stared at me.

And then he moved, finally. I saw Edward swallow hard before he leaned away from my door and slowly pealed off his blazer and t-shirt. My eyes flickered over his bare chest, his smooth muscles and the dark tattoo against his light skin. The bulge in his pants had become much more evident as he stepped out of his Vans while simultaneously undoing the button on his pants.

"Get on the bed," he murmured huskily.

I climbed slowly onto my bed, and turned to lean against the headboard.

I watched Edward drop his pants before he palmed himself through his dark blue underwear. He moved towards me, kneeling on the bed in front of me before he slid his hands up my bare legs spreading them out in front of him.

I watched his pupils dilate as he took in my naked pussy.

"You're so fucking hot, Bella," he groaned.

I felt my legs tremble beneath his gaze.

When he leaned towards me, I pulled my feet up and placed my heels against his chest, stopping him, which caused him to glance up at me in surprise.

"No touching," I said. My voice was a low purr, even in my ears.

I watched Edward's face twist into a knowing smile before he leaned back, palming himself again.

"Touch yourself," he ordered huskily.

I let my hand drift over my right breast, down my tummy until finally finding my wet clit.

"How?" I asked.

"Touch your clit, baby. Circle your fingers around it."

I slid my finger up my pussy before circling my clit. I released a small mew of pleasure before I let my head fall back onto the headboard.

"Touch yourself, Edward," I said through soft pants.

I watched him reach into his underwear before pulling out his hard dick and stroking it. I saw his precum escape the head before he rubbed his fist over it, lubing up his palm.

"You like watching me touch myself, Bella?" he asked.

I nodded, my eyes never leaving his pumping fist.

"You like seeing how hard you make me?"

I nodded again and my hips twitched involuntarily.

"Tell me," he said. "Tell me how much you like it."

"I love it, baby," I moaned. "I love seeing you touch yourself."

My gaze flickered to Edward's when I saw his moving hand pause.

He was staring at me with lust filled eyes.

"Say it again," he ordered thickly.

I stared at him for a moment, confused by his words. And then I realized what he was asking me.

"I love it… _baby_," I said. "I love your dick."

Edward pushed my feet away from him as he forced his way between my legs.

"Fuck, Bella," he groaned. "I love hearing you say that."

He bent down and kissed me hungrily, feverishly, and then I was lost. Lost in lust and want and desire. I wrapped my arms around his neck and forced my hips against him, seeking his dick, seeking friction.

His hands slid around my waist and then down my ass, cupping my skin between his fingers before he pulled me into his lap.

He was kissing me roughly and sliding his dick against my hot wet entrance while he fumbled in my bedside drawer for a condom. Once he had it, I helped him slide it on, eager to feel him inside of me.

And then in one smooth move, he was in me, filling me, thick and hard and unbelievably perfect.

I cried out from the bit of pain caused from the sudden fullness.

"Oh, God," I exclaimed, but then my words were drowned as a loud feral cry crawled its way out of my throat.

His dick sent a shockwave through my system as he slid out and thrust back into me. I threw my head back involuntarily and circled my hips roughly against his pelvis. Edward inside of me, thick and hard was so deliciously exciting and pleasurable, I found myself slipping, fading away and concentrating on the one pleasurable spot inside of me that he brushed against every time he slid out and right back in.

I heard him gasp over me, his breath blowing across my face as he laid us down. And then he was moving, fast and rough, sliding quickly in and out of me in fluid motions. I couldn't breath much past his weight, but I found myself gripping him tightly against me, my ankles crossed around his waist as I held him to me.

"Fuck, baby," he gasped out. "You feel so good."

I whimpered from his words and gripped his shoulders as he thrust freely. He knew what he was saying last night, even through his drunken haze. He knew how to fuck me. He knew how I wanted it, how I needed it.

I unclasped my ankles and buried my heels into his calves so that I could brace myself against his rough thrusts.

He angled himself back slightly, bringing my hips up with him as every pore on my body screamed out in ecstasy.

"Oh, God!" I cried out erratically. "I'm so close—"

My body bucked towards him as I came. I faintly remembered crying something unintelligible out into the stillness of my room as he rode me desperately through my orgasm.

"Shit," he whispered harshly, his voice bringing me helping me float over cloud 9.

He thrust against me a few more times before he finally exploded into me, his body releasing short spasms as he came.

Edward was hovering over me, one hand braced over me on the headboard while his other hand held my hip, gasping as he stared drunkenly down at me.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked thickly.

I shook my head. I was still panting and my body was still trembling from the aftermath of my orgasm.

I continued to lay back until he finally pulled out of me before excusing himself to the bathroom.

I got up slowly and pulled back on my panties and a plain t-shirt before Edward came back into my room dressed only in his boxers.

"I should go," he said as he reached for his pants.

I didn't miss the way his gaze flickered to my alarm clock.

I glanced over and saw that it was 6:45.

"Why?" I asked.

"Charlie will be here soon."

"So?"

I watched Edward pull on his t-shirt and then shoes.

"I don't think I should be here when Charlie gets home," he said.

"Why?"

"Because he's mad at me, Bella."

"He's not mad at you. I told you that."

Edward shook his head. "I'm not comfortable," he murmured. "Please, just… let me go. I don't really feel like hanging out with Charlie right now."

I frowned, but didn't argue.

I followed him down the stairs and to the front door.

"You can come over my house if you want," he said softly.

"I cant," I sighed, looking away.

"How come?"

"I'm grounded."

"I thought you said he wasn't mad."

"He's… he said their needs to be consequences for crossing boundaries."

Edward shook his head slightly as he peered out into the night. He looked upset.

"What are you thinking?" I asked softly.

"Nothing."

"Something," I countered.

"I'm thinking that I'm pissed off. That I'm an idiot for fucking this up again."

"You didn't fuck anything up," I argued. "Why do you keep blaming yourself?"

"Because who else can I blame? You? Tyler? This is all me. I make these decisions and then I get people into trouble."

"What are you talking about?" I asked confused.

"Nothing. Never mind. I'm gonna go, Bella. I'll call you later."

"Wait a minute!" I snapped, reaching for his arm.

He paused, but didn't turn to face me.

"What are you so angry about?" I asked again.

He didn't respond.

"Edward," I tried to keep my voice small and soothing. "Please talk to me. You're struggling with something, but you wont let me in."

"I'm not struggling with anything," he snapped as he turned to face me.

I peered up into his beautiful green eyes and all I could see was the pain he felt.

I reached up and brushed my thumb beneath his left eye.

"Where is this anger coming from?" I whispered.

He didn't respond because we were suddenly interrupted by Charlie's cruiser pulling up into the driveway.

I felt Edward freeze.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"I'll call you later," he responded.

He bent down and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before he turned towards his car.

"Charlie," Edward greeted with a nod.

"Not staying for dinner?" Charlie asked.

Edward shook his head before adding, "Goodnight, sir."

Charlie watched Edward go before he turned back towards the house.

"You guys fighting again?" Charlie asked me.

"Don't blame this on me," I shot back defensively. "This is all your fault."

"I don't think it is," he responded.

He was probably right, though. Something was going on. I could see it… feel it.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hmm… Remember, we aren't supposed to know too much of what is going on with him. We are experiencing all of this through Bella. Just saying.**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	38. Chapter 38: Like A Stone

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 38: Like A Stone**

I was standing in the Forks High School parking lot, in a stream of warm sunlight, trying my best to peak over the many heads surrounding me. I could just make out Edward's bronze hair through the crowd of cheerleaders and football players. He was near the front of the line, standing next to Mike with his gym bag slung over his right shoulder. Mike was saying something to him and moving his arms around animatedly. My gaze flickered to Edward's profile. He was smiling and nodding, but not responding much. It was a side of him I'd seen before. Months ago.

"Lover's quarrel?" Rosalie whispered into my ear.

I turned and was met with her blue-green piercing stare.

I shook my head.

"What's going on?"

"It's a long story," I murmured.

Rosalie nodded, her gaze following Edward just like mine. I could tell she was concerned. She had noticed the recent change in him.

It was Friday, the day of the away game and we were all standing around while Coach Call and Coach Wells took roll, making sure that everyone was present. Over the past week, since Tuesday, Edward had grown so withdrawn and it was becoming much more apparent, not only to me, but to Rosalie as well.

"You know you need to put that hair up, right?" Rosalie teased, drawing my attention away from my brooding boyfriend.

I rolled my eyes at her and nodded.

My hair was down again, and instead of wearing my warm-ups jacket, I was wearing my grey zip-up hoodie again. To me, it was much more comfortable and so much warmer.

My gaze flickered to the girls around me. Everyone looked exactly the same. Blue eye shadow, red lips, warm-up jackets, hair tied up in neat, clean ponytails and topped with a pretty white bow.

I shrugged. I was just the alternate anyway.

The line moved and everyone began shuffling in to the huge yellow school bus. There was about forty of us in total that had to squeeze in, because apparently Forks High couldn't afford more than one bus. That was fine with me though. That meant I'd be on the same bus as Edward.

I slung my gym bag over my shoulder and moved forward with the line.

Once we were all on the bus, the Coach's took roll one last time and then we were off. I sat beside Rosalie and kept my gaze out of the side window until we hit the freeway. And then I turned to peer over the many heads in search of one bronze haired boy.

I could just make him out in the back, but he was often hidden behind standing boys and arms waving around. He was sitting beside someone I'd never met before.

"Go to him," Rosalie hissed. "You know you want to."

I frowned.

"Go. I'll watch your bag."

I nodded and then scooted my way into the isle of green leather seats before hastily jogging the length of the bus. Luckily, Coach Wells never caught me.

The boy beside Edward met my gaze as I approached. He was young with light brown curly hair, probably a junior. He smiled at me and I blushed when his eyes slid up my bare legs.

I ran my hand nervously through my hair.

"Hey," I whispered to him. "Mind if I cut in?"

The boy's wide smile faltered slightly before he looked over his shoulder at Edward. But he still moved out of my way to take a seat beside Mike and Tyler.

Edward was gazing out of the passenger window, his mind a million miles away. He hadn't heard me approach.

My eyes flickered over his appearance as I sat down. He was wearing his integrated football gear. White pants, socks, cleats and his grey Varsity Football sweatshirt. He didn't have his shoulder pads or jersey shirt on yet.

"Hey," I said softly.

I watched him blink in surprise before he turned to face me.

"Hey," he said with a wide smile. He opened his left arm to me and I immediately cuddled into his side.

"What'cha doin?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"The game."

I nodded, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I like the way you look when you don't wear makeup," he commented.

I glanced up and blushed when I found him staring down at me.

"I am wearing makeup," I said. "You just can't tell."

Edward's thumb brushed softly over my left eye.

"Not here," he said.

I shook my head. Nope, not there.

"Come here." Edward gripped me beneath my arms and easily slid me over his lap so that I was sitting on the window side.

"You didn't have to do that," I giggled.

"It has a better view."

I snuggled back into his side, now beneath his right arm and instantly buried my nose in his armpit.

"What are you doing?" he asked hesitantly after hearing me take a deep breath.

"I love your smell." My words were muffled by his thick sweatshirt.

"Bella," he chuckled. I felt his arm fall as he tried to squirm away from me.

"Noo…" I moaned into the fabric. "I love it."

"Stop." His chuckles were louder now, a base coming from the pit of his stomach as he forced his elbow down into his side. "Baby, don't do that."

"Ok," I pouted. "I wont if you hold me."

He raised his arm again, a little nervously now, but still pulled me into his side. I took the opportunity to drape my right leg over his left as I curled into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"This is our first away game together," I murmured.

"I know."

"Ready for this three hour drive?"

"Sure… now that you're here."

I felt him scoot down a bit so that we sat practically laying back against the backrest. I glanced up at him. His eyes were closed and his head was back. My eyes roamed over the purplish, bruise-like shadows beneath his perfect full dark eyelashes. He looked very tired, like he hadn't slept in days, but at least he looked content. And he still looked beautiful.

Edward hadn't snuck into my room all week, so I was sure I wasn't the only one having sleepless nights. When I asked him why he hadn't come over, he said that he didn't want to get into any more trouble. He said that he was eighteen now and shouldn't be sneaking into his girlfriends bedroom anymore. I didn't understand his reasoning, especially since I was still sixteen. But to him, it seemed to be the _right_ thing to do, whether we liked it or not. I didn't push. I knew that he didn't want to disrespect Charlie anymore.

"Is your family coming?" I asked him.

He shook his head.

"Yeah, I guess its kind of a far trip."

"Is Charlie gonna come?" he responded.

"No."

"Too far?"

I nodded.

We stayed like that, curled up in each other's arms without saying much for most of the drive. I spent that time listening to the soft drum of his heart, which was rudely interrupted every time one of the guys let out a booming laugh or a holler of pain. The bus was very loud, probably because everyone was so excited. Everyone except Edward and I.

I kept my arms around his waist and snuggled my nose into his chest every little while to get a deep whiff. He didn't mind that so much and he didn't comment. He just sat there, brushing his fingertips along my cheekbone or over my lips while rubbing his other hand over my back.

The feel of his body against me was so comforting and relaxing, I felt myself slipping into a dreamless sleep every now and then. The only time I'd wake up was when a girl screeched with laughter or if there was a hard bump in the road.

Or when Edward nuzzled my nose with his.

"Are you asleep?" he asked.

I could feel the hot moisture of his breath on my face, but I kept my eyes closed.

"I love you, Bella." His voice was soft, like a gentle caress in my ears.

I felt his hand slide under my chin to tilt my head up. And then his lips were on mine, soft and gentle, treating me like piece of breakable glass.

I smiled beneath his touch, but still kept my eyes shut. I didn't want to 'wake up' just yet.

Edward's hand slid down my throat before he carefully dug into the front of my uniform. And when he found the tiny feather there, he pulled it out and gently slid it between his fingers. He did this all the time, especially when we were in bed together.

"Sometimes I wish I could be this feather," he said. His voice was low in my ear, barely audible. "I'd just hang out, cuddled between your beautiful, soft breasts, listening to your heart, listening to your laugh. I'd be happy there. No worries about school or work or money or parents. My only worry would be what kind of bath soap you decided to use or whether or not I might accidently give you a rash one day. I'd know you'd never take me off, and I'd know you'd never leave me. I would just… be. Be there. Be happy and warm… forever."

Edward tucked the feather back into my uniform just as the bus pulled off of the freeway.

My eyes flickered open and they immediately landed on Edward's. He was watching me, his face calm and collected and… artificial.

"If you were a feather," I murmured. "I wouldn't be able to hold you like this."

He smirked.

"I don't know if there is anything in the world I love more than being able to hold you. Feel your warm body against mine. I'd give up everything for this."

He rolled his eyes teasingly before looking away.

"And this muscle doesn't hurt either," I murmured as I ran my fingertips over his pelvis.

I felt his hips jerk slightly from my touch.

"Bella," he warned.

I ignored him and pressed my thumb more firmly along his pelvic bone.

He jerked again before meeting my gaze.

"And there are other things," I whispered, "Other things I wouldn't be able to do to you… if you were a feather."

I licked my lips suggestively and then smirked when I took in the way the muscles on his throat moved from when he swallowed, making his adam's apple bob.

The bus came to a halt just outside of Nooksack Valley High School.

"I have to go," I said as I hastily got to my feet. "Good luck tonight."

Edward chuckled and pulled me into his lap to give me one last kiss before I ran off towards my seat.

I met up with Rosalie and grabbed my bag before rushing out with the other cheerleaders towards the school's front stairs. The school was nice and looked kind of like a library. It had a large front building with many long glass windows. It was all brick with one sign saying NOOKSACK VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL in purple letters and their NV Pioneers, buffalo and carriage mascot. There was some green landscaping too, which was nice, but I couldn't make out many of the details because the sky was already getting dark.

"Your hair, Bella," Rosalie urged.

I dropped my bag and pulled my hair up into a high ponytail just as Rosalie bent to retrieve my white bow.

The squad and myself removed our jackets and then formed a line beside Coach Wells before we followed her into the school building. We were met with a Nooksack administrator, but I didn't listen much as she talked with Coach Wells about where we were supposed to go.

I kept my eyes on the bus and watched as Edward climbed out carrying his gym bag. I watched him shrug out of his sweatshirt before pulling on his shoulder pads and jersey, with Mike's help, before they lined up and followed Coach Clapp around the building and out of sight.

"Follow me, ladies," Wells said to us.

And then we all followed her out onto our side of the football field.

There were a few wooden bleachers set up for the visitor's team and company. I saw many parents already on the Forks High School side of the filed, which was nice.

The game started an hour later and I was sitting on the front row bleachers next to our water boys and football players while cheering our team on with my palm palms.

The game was actually pretty good, from what I could tell anyway. Nooksack had a pretty good team and kept our boys busy throughout the first quarter. I cheered along with every one else on our side and even stood up and screamed when I saw Mike throw Edward the ball. I was hollering and waving and cheering like a freak when Edward ran swiftly to the end zone, scoring a touchdown.

"Yeah!" I screamed and clapped and stood with the rest of the squad as they got up to do their victory routine, the one we planned to use every time one of our players did something exceptionally awesome.

"Go Cullen! Go Cullen!" we sang and clapped. "Go run, go fight, go win tonight! Go Cullen! Go Cullen!"

We repeated the chant over and over and even got a wave from Edward when he heard us over the cheers from our guests.

I was so excited about the whole thing, I couldn't help but jump around and wave back to him like a crazy person.

"Are you sure you only want to be an alternate?" Coach Wells asked as I continued to chant.

"Huh?" I giggled.

"You seem pretty excited," she laughed.

"Oh, I know. But trust me, I'm better on the ground than in the air."

We laughed together and watched as the game continued.

"Goooo! Trojans!" I cheered with the squad. "Go teal, go white, go Trojans, yeah, alright! Go Trojans! Go Trojans!"

It was now after the second quarter and the teams were taking their half time break. I got up from my seat beside Coach Wells and made my way over towards Edward while the cheerleading squad stood for their little routine of small basket tosses and chants about how awesome the Trojans were.

I moved towards Edward and watched as he was handed a cup of Gatorade from one of the water boys. He guzzled it down instantly before receiving a second.

"Hey," I said with a wide smile.

He laughed at my expression while he wiped the mud and sweat from his face with a clean towel.

"I heard you cheering," he said.

"Did you?"

"Yeah."

"Did you like it?" I teased.

"I did, actually."

Edward gave me a wink before he turned to meet up with Coach Clapp.

I watched him from a distance as he discussed the play with his teammates. A few players were replaced and I watched as they all stood around, warming up for the third quarter.

And then the game started again. We were up, 13 to 10.

"Hey, Pioneers! What do ya say? Let's hear ya yell the Trojans way! Go Trojans! Go Trojans!"

When the game finally ended, Forks won 28 to 17, so we all left feeling exhilarated from the win.

"Go Trojans! Go Trojans!" the girls and I chanted in the bus on our way back to Forks. "Victory! Oh yeah! Grab that V, dot that I! Now grab that C-T-O-R-Y! We got that Victory! Oh yeah! Go Trojans! Oh yeah!"

I was sitting on my knees beside Edward, clapping my hands in time while I chanted out to him. He was laughing and hollering with the rest of the guys while we cheered them on, a wide exuberant smile across his face as he watched me.

"Get over here," he said with a raspy voice as he yanked me down onto his lap.

I giggled and collapsed onto my butt, seconds before he crushed his lips against mine.

I heard a few of the guys around us release some loud catcalls, which caused Coach Wells to yell towards the back of the bus.

"Hey!" Wells snapped. "Keep it down back there and have some respect."

I blushed and hid my face in Edward's salty neck while I released a fit of giggles.

The ride back to Forks was loud and funny. Everyone was excited and pumped, talking about the game. And though the conversations mainly revolved around the guys, us girls couldn't help but join in too. Edward and Emmett got many praises for being so awesome on the field. However, no one could deny how amazing our entire team was that night. Not even me, even though I didn't understand a lot of what was going on during the game.

"Are you coming over tonight?" I asked Edward. "I'm making dinner."

"At 10 at night?" he teased.

"Yes. You're not hungry?"

"Not really."

I frowned.

"Look, it was a long day. Lets just call it a night, ok?"

My frown deepened. All of the happiness I'd felt moments ago was instantly drained and left behind on the empty freeway.

"Bella," Edward sighed.

I turned away from him and peered out into the dark night of the freeway. I was upset because I wanted this night to last. I was hoping that because he was happy, he'd come home with me tonight. But I was wrong. He didn't want to come over and he didn't want to hang out, probably because of Charlie.

Edward didn't do much to comfort me, at least not for the first half hour.

I sat there, silently hurting, while I tried unsuccessfully to ignore all of the excited conversations buzzing around me. Everyone's voices just added to my sadness. Why should they all be happy when I wasn't?

But after a while, even Edward couldn't handle the distance between us. I felt his arms slide around my waist before he pulled me onto his lap.

"Can't we just be happy?" he asked against my neck. "I love you and I don't want to fight. Can't we just enjoy ourselves, here, now?"

I turned away from him, fighting the tears that burned in my eyes.

"Why are you so upset?"

"Because you hurt my feelings," I muttered.

"How?"

"Because you wont come over. Because you don't ever want to be around my dad anymore. Because you're still so upset."

"I'm not upset with him, Bella," Edward argued.

"No. You're upset with yourself."

Edward frowned. "How can I not be?" His tone turned dry and annoyed.

I shook my head from the sound of it.

"We've talked about this already," he continued. "I'm not gonna sit here and force you to understand me if you don't want to."

"Hey," I snapped. "I understand, ok? I get what you're feeling. But that doesn't mean that it's the _right_ thing to be feeling."

"Well, what the hell does that mean?"

"It means that… well… maybe you're taking this a little too far?"

"Oh, is that what you think?"

"Yeah, that's what I think."

Edward dropped his arms from around me and I watched as he leaned away, shaking his head.

"What?" I pressed. I had my arms folded over my chest like a stubborn kid.

"You know… you don't know what's going on in my head," he snapped harshly. "You don't know what I'm feeling. You'll never understand. And you know what? I've never expected you to. But you? You're something else."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I never push you, Bella. When I asked you about your nightmare that day, you didn't talk to me about it and I didn't force you to. I accept that there are things that you're dealing with that you're not comfortable talking about."

I frowned.

"But when I open up to you and tell you stuff, you throw it in my face like I'm some asshole who's taken your dad's words 'waaay too seriously.'"

"I never said that," I urged.

"No, you said that I'm taking this to far. That what I'm feeling isn't the '_right'_ thing to be feeling."

"Edward…"

"You know, I'm gonna feel what I'm gonna feel. That's just the way I am. And I don't expect you to always agree with that, but I never expected you to tell me that what I'm feeling is wrong…"

I felt my stomach fall out of my ass.

I could see him slipping away from me, slipping though my fingers like a cloud of smoke.

"Edward," I said again. I reached for his face and luckily he didn't pull away. "I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry I said that what you're feeling isn't the right thing to be feeling. How the hell am I supposed to know what's right and what's wrong?"

He shook his head from my words and I could see the resign in his eyes.

"Hey," I continued in a softer voice. "I just worry about you. That's all. I worry that you're hurting yourself. That you're making yourself feel worse that you should."

"Stop," he murmured.

"Stop what?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

His eyes were guarded as he gently tugged my hands away from his face.

I stared at him for a moment, swimming in my own misery. Our day had started out great, well… as great as can be expected lately. And now we were fighting again. Fighting because I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut.

I stayed seated on his lap with my head resting on his shoulder until we finally pulled into the school parking lot. By that point, two hours later or so, the entire bus had died down and everyone was on the verge of sleep.

Climbing out of the bus, we called some quick goodbyes to our friends and coaches before I followed Edward to his car.

We were quiet during the entire drive home and I was acutely aware of his body language and the raw tension between us. And I hated it. And when Edward eventually pulled into Charlie's driveway, all he gave me was a quick kiss and a soft goodnight before I left his car.

"Hey kid," Charlie greeted me from the living room. "How was the game?"

"We won," I murmured.

Charlie's head turned towards me. He had obviously heard something he didn't like in my voice.

"I'm gonna go to bed," I said. "I'm really tired."

I made my way up the stairs in silence. I took a long shower before going to my room and booting up my computer. I spent an hour playing with the ukulele and listening to music. I felt incredibly restless and so I forced myself to try and learn new chords and follow the rhythm to the songs that played on my iTunes.

I couldn't get Edward out of my mind. All I could think about was what I'd said to him. I told him that what he was feeling wasn't right. That it was wrong.

I cringed.

I knew that I wasn't necessarily at fault for reacting the way I did, but I couldn't help being angry with myself for making him think that I was judging him. The more I contemplated the situation, the more I knew that this thing, the tension between us was never gonna go away. But I couldn't bring myself to really act on it. I didn't know how to talk to him without making him angry or hurting his feelings. And truthfully, I didn't even know much about therapy. How did I know I didn't need therapy myself?

I was in the middle of strumming random chords when a particular song came on. _Like A Stone_ by Audioslave. I paused, sitting cross-legged on my bed in nothing but a t-shirt and underwear, and listened to the song.

It reminded me of that night, the night Edward finally talked to me about Jasper… about what their friendship had meant to him and why he was so upset when Jasper neglected to apologize to me.

Edward had been sitting on the floor by his fireplace, shuffling compulsively through piles of vinyl records. I remembered the sad, hurt expression he wore, the same one he'd worn tonight on the bus.

The memory triggered something within me, a hard ache from deep within my chest. He was hurting. I knew he was.

I didn't really know what I was doing. All I knew was that I needed to see him and I couldn't spend one more night without him. I just couldn't.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a hoodie before pulling on my black leather jacket and Vans. Then I grabbed my keys and phone and pulled my window open. I had seen Edward climb the side of my house many times, but it in no way compared to the kind of struggle I was faced with when trying to climb it myself. I slipped and scrapped my knee and palm on the slippery railing before I finally landed in a heap on the ground. The impact wasn't too bad. I fell on my ass before immediately rolling onto my back, like I'd learned to do during cheer practice. It helped break the impact from the fall.

Once I was on my feet, I set off down towards Edward's house. It was only a few miles. Edward ran the distance often enough, so I knew I could do it too.

I set off at a slow jog and made it a little less than half way before I gave up and started walking again. The walk to Edward's house was easy at first, but it soon became very difficult once I turned onto the hidden dirt path. But it was mostly because I struggled a lot with my footing over the overgrown ferns and twisted roots.

It was very quiet and a little creepy. And at one point, I heard some wolves howl into the night. I thought of Charlie and what he might say if he caught me walking to Edward's house at 1 in the morning when he was having animal problems, and knew that he'd ground me for life for doing it. But even though I was scared and even though I was sweating and out of breath by the time the tree's cleared and the Cullen's white home came into view, I couldn't regret the decision I'd made.

I had to see him.

As soon as I saw the house, I set off at another slow jog through his lawn and around the side of the house to where I knew Edward's balcony was. And when I finally saw it, I just stood there for a few minutes, gasping and sweating and staring up at the French double doors, knowing that he was just beyond them.

And then I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

He answered on the third ring.

"_Bella?"_ His voice was thick with sleep.

"I'm outside," I whispered into the receiver.

"_What?"_

"Come to your balcony."

I listened while he hesitated before he finally got up. There was some rustling in the background and then a distant click. And then he was there, standing shirtless in a pair of dark boxer briefs, looking down at me.

I felt instant relief flood through my body from the sight of him and I smiled. At that moment I promised myself I would do anything for him, anything I could to help him, to help us.

"_What are you doing here?"_ he said into the phone.

"I had to see you," I answered.

"_Why didn't you just call me? I would have come to you, baby."_

"I had to see you." My voice shook and I felt tears burn in my eyes as I gazed up at him. "I love you so much," I said. "And I never want to hurt you or make you think that I'd ever judge you. You are the one precious thing in my life, Edward. You're all I want, all I care about… always."

He stared at me for a moment before he finally spoke.

"_Come to the front of the house, baby,"_ he said. And then he clicked.

I watched him turn and run back into his room before I turned and jogged carefully around the side of the house.

Edward made it to the front door before I could and I watched with tears streaming down my face as he jumped the steps of his porch in his bare feet before running out towards me.

And then I was in his arms.

My body slammed against his from the force of his run, before he brought me up so that I could tie my legs around his waist.

I released a soft sob into the darkness as he cradled me against his naked chest.

"I love you so much," he murmured into my hair. "I'm sorry I said those stupid things to you and made you feel guilty. I'm sorry I was so angry."

I shook my head. "No," I cried. "No, it's my fault."

"No it isn't, Bella. It's me. I'm messed up. But I'm gonna try to do better. I'm gonna try to be better for you."

"I don't need that," I sobbed. "I just want _you_."

"I've realized something today," he said, more clearly now. "I'm struggling with these… feelings… that I don't even understand. But I'm gonna get help."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I leaned away from him.

I placed my hands on his cheeks so that I could peer into his glowing green eyes.

He smiled sadly down at me. "I thought about it a lot when I got home and I've even thought about it before. I'm gonna start talking to someone, someone at school. There's a woman there, a doctor. A doctor I've met with before. Her name is Dr. Aro and she's a psychiatrist. She teaches Psychology for college credits for the honors program at our school."

I gazed at him with wide eyes, unable to believe my ears.

"I met her last year, when I was having… problems… controlling my anger. She knows me a little. I have her number and I'm gonna call her tomorrow and ask if she'll see me."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm going through things. I have all this… bottled up resentment inside of me. All of this hatred and anger. It's hard for me to explain, Bella. I just know that what I'm feeling isn't normal. And I keep catching myself taking it out on people I care about. On Tyler, on Jasper… on _you_. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"You're not hurting me," I murmured.

"Not physically. But I am hurting you emotionally, baby."

Edward reached up to brush the dripping tears away from my cheeks.

"My beautiful girl shouldn't be crying like this," he whispered to me.

And then his lips were on mine. Our kisses were rough and sloppy; tongues, lips and teeth grazing against each other's as if we needed each other to survive. But that's how I felt. Edward was my life source. I needed him in order to breathe, in order to live. I needed to love him and make him happy.

"Let's go inside," he said and then he carried me up the stairs of his porch and into his quiet, sleeping house.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I forgot that you're practically naked."

"I'm not sorry. I'm glad you're here."

We made it to his room without waking anyone up. When we entered, Edward immediately placed me onto his bed and then kneeled in front of me to pull off my shoes, socks, and jeans before pulling off my jacket and sweatshirt.

"Who do you hold resentment against?" I asked.

"My parents," he murmured.

"Your parents?"

"Yes… both my biological and adoptive parents. I don't know why I do, but I resent them. I blame my father for dragging my mom and I to that meeting, I blame my mom for agreeing, I resent Carlisle for having such an easy life and never making a mistake like that. I accuse Esme everyday of trying to take my mother's place."

I frowned down at him.

"They aren't normal thoughts," he sighed.

"That's not true," I croaked. "How do you know what's normal?"

He finally looked up and met my gaze.

"I guess I don't," he said.

"No, you don't. But I agree that those thoughts aren't helping you."

He nodded.

"Can I be there tomorrow? When you call?"

I watched Edward take a deep breath before he spoke.

"Yeah," he said. "I'd like that."

I gripped his hand, which lay resting on my thigh and pulled him towards me onto his bed.

We curled up together beneath the covers, by back pressed against his front while he played idly with the feather on my chest.

"I don't hate them," Edward murmured. "But I can't help this feeling of… indignation. Every time I see a kid out with their parents, laughing and playing. I've never had that. Ever. I've never felt like a normal kid. I've always felt like the odd one out, the kid everyone was always whispering about or pointing at."

I felt the tears coming again as I listened to his words.

"Maybe that's why I've always masked my emotions. I didn't want anyone to know how much it affected me. I didn't want anyone to know that their judging hurt me. It wasn't until I met you that I finally felt like, I don't know, like someone was looking at me or liked me because of me. Not because I was some poor orphaned guy."

"I don't think anyone thinks of you that way," I murmured.

He sighed. "You don't know, Bella. I've known more than half of these kids my entire life. They were there when I started school. They all constantly asked me about my parents all the way up until high school. People don't forget those kinds of things."

"Have you ever told anyone what happened?" I asked.

"Only a few people."

I nodded.

We were quiet for a few moments, just thinking.

"Charlie's gonna be really pissed off," Edward murmured.

"I don't care what Charlie thinks."

"I do."

"I know you do, Edward. But this is important. You and me. If Charlie can't understand that, then he has no business running my life. I survived well enough before he came around."

"Don't say that."

"I know, I'm sorry… But he's being an ass-hat about this whole thing."

I felt Edward nuzzle into the back of my neck.

"I love your smell," he whispered.

I smiled.

"It's like… home. Like I'm safe. Like… when I'm with you, I feel safe. I'm sorry for being such an _ass-hat_ lately."

I giggled.

"I never want to take it out on you and I never want to make you feel guilty about speaking your mind to me. I'm so sorry."

"Shh…" I hushed. "I don't want you to be sorry anymore."

Edward gripped me closer to his chest.

"Why was Carlisle so mad at you about being drunk? Has he never seen you drunk before?" I asked.

"Na, that wasn't it."

"What happened?"

"He's seen Emmett and me drunk before. I think he was so pissed because you had to drive me home alone. I think he was mad because it was irresponsible of me."

"You _think_?"

"Well, I haven't actually talked to him about it?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know," he murmured as he rubbed his face against my back.

"Are you sleepy?" I asked.

"Are you?"

"Kinda," I answered honestly.

"Then go to sleep, baby."

I felt Edward wrap his arms tighter around me and that's how I fell asleep. His arms were warm as they cradled my head and wrapped around my shoulders and he hummed softly into my ear, beckoning me into unconsciousness.

And when I awoke the next day, it was still dark outside and Edward was still asleep beside me. He was lying on his tummy now, with one arm buried beneath the pillow while the other lay limp across my chest.

My eyes roamed freely over his face. He looked so young, like a little boy. Like the boy from my photograph all those years ago. My eyes slid over his full eyebrows and down his straight nose, over the stubble that freckled over his upper lips. Those lips. He had the perfect pout and they were the most perfect shade of peach. Beautiful and soft. I wanted to lean in and kiss them, but I couldn't. I didn't want to disturb his slumber.

I lied there for almost an hour, watching the clock and ignoring my full bladder until the time hit 7:15am. And then finally, I carefully nudged him awake.

"Edward," I murmured softly. "You have to get up for work."

I listened as he took a few deep breaths while the muscles in his back clenched. I felt him thrust a little into my leg and when finally, he opened his eyes.

Bright green irises starred back at me looking tired and sad.

"Hi," I smiled. "You ok?"

I watched Edward's lips pull up in a crooked grin as his white teen poked out between his lips.

"You look beautiful," he said softly, just as he reached up to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear.

I blushed hot on my cheeks.

"Did Charlie call?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Only Edward would wake up feeling paranoid.

"What time is it?"

I turned to glance at the clock on his bedside table again. "Just after 7:20," I said.

I took that opportunity to get up and use the bathroom before he did. I washed up quickly and then pulled the door open, intending to ask Edward if I could use his toothbrush. But he was already standing there, waiting against the doorframe.

"Hi," I giggled.

"I have an extra toothbrush," he said.

I blushed and watched as he dug through his medicine cabinet.

We stood and brushed our teeth together, smiling and making foamy monster faces at each other in the mirror.

"You look like Ace Ventura," I laughed with a mouth full of toothpaste.

"Ventura? How?"

I copied the expression he made, which made him burst out into a fit of laughter.

And then we rinsed, and I settled back into his bed to watch him get dressed.

We left his house about fifteen minutes later and when I stepped through my front door, Charlie was waiting for me in the kitchen with hot cup of coffee in his hand and sour look on his face.

"Hi," I murmured.

"I know where you were," Charlie said.

"Do you? How?"

"Carlisle called me."

I sighed and poured myself a cup of coffee.

"When?" I asked.

"This morning. At like 2am."

"Well, I had to see Edward."

"Uh-huh."

I took a seat across from Charlie and leveled his gaze. This was an argument he wasn't going to win.

"Carlisle said you got over there yourself," Charlie continued. "Did someone drive you?"

"No, I walked."

"You walked? Are you insane, Bella? God, dammit! You could have been hurt. How can you be so reckless?"

"Love makes you do crazy things…" I responded.

"Are you serious?" His tone was condescending.

"Look, you can ground me if you want, but I had to do what I had to do and no one can change that."

"Bella, I don't even know what to say to you. I'm sitting here, talking to my daughter about how she snuck out of the house when she's supposed to be grounded, and then walked to her boyfriends house who lives about three miles away. And then she tells me she did it because love _made_ her?"

"Dad, there's a lot we need to talk about. I understand that. But you need to understand something first. Edward's going through something right now and I want to be there for him. I don't know why I snuck out last night and I don't know what to tell you. All I can say is… I felt something. Inside of me."

"Inside of you," he repeated.

"Yeah and… I don't know. I had to go, I had to be with him."

Charlie rolled his eyes and released an exasperated sigh.

"I don't expect you to understand what I mean. I know you think I'm just a silly sixteen-year-old girl. But this is real. What I feel for Edward is real."

"Fine," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Fine?"

"Yeah, fine. If that's your response, how can I argue with that?"

I frowned. "Does that mean I'm not grounded anymore?"

"Oh, no. You're still grounded, young lady. And I'm gonna be making my rounds every few hours from now on to make sure you're not sneaking out."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

Edward texted me a few hours later, at around 12 and told me that he was planning on taking his break soon. He said he was going to call Dr. Aro, so I made an excuse to go to the market so that Charlie would let me out of the house for at least a half hour.

Charlie gave me many suspicious glances, but I pretended not to take notice of them. I didn't want to have to lie further, so I didn't broach the subject more than I needed to.

I got to _Gathering Grounds_ ten minutes later and met Edward in the tiny outdoor patio.

"I have the number," Edward said.

I glanced down at the old hot pink flyer in his hand. There was a small note written on the bottom. Just a name and number.

"Are you ready?" I asked as I took a seat beside him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he responded.

I watched as he dialed the number before placing his phone to his ear.

"_Hello?"_ A woman's voice came from the other line.

"Uh… Jane? Jane Aro?" Edward responded nervously.

"_Yes?"_

"Hi, this is Edward Cullen."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**We are getting so close to the end, people.**

**I just want to take this time to thank all of you who stuck with me from beginning to end. I know it was a bit chaotic sometimes, but I tried my best to keep a comfortable pace and help these characters grow. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**I want to thank you all for reading and reviewing and staying with me. It was fun, wasn't it? Lol I read all of your reviews and always enjoy your comments and criticisms. You guys help me grow as a writer.**

**Anyway, I hope that when the story finally comes to an end, which it will very soon, that you'll all feel satisfied and happy. I hope I do. Its gonna be hard for me to give up these characters, it was so much fun to write this story and I really hope I did okay job with it. **

**Anyway, thanks again. I love you all. :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	39. Chapter 39: Road to Recovery

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 39: Road to Recovery**

"Thanks, Dr. Aro. Yes… I'll see you on Monday."

I watched as Edward brought the phone away from his ear and hung up. And then I sat and patiently waited for him to speak.

"Well," he began. "I'm meeting up with her on Monday during my free sixth. She said we're gonna go over some ethical guidelines and it shouldn't last longer than a half hour or so, which is good because that way I wont be late to practice."

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

"A little," he murmured.

"Don't be. I'm sure it'll be fine. Easy even."

"Yeah."

Edward twirled his phone around in his fingers before he turned and finally met my gaze. He didn't look sad or defeated. On the contrary, he looked confident and hopeful.

"Where's her office?" I asked. I couldn't keep my hands from nervously twisting in my lap.

"In the health office," Edward said with a condescending smirk.

"Oh. Duh." I rolled my eyes at myself and released a shaky laugh.

"Yeah," Edward laughed with me. "Do you want some of my coffee?"

He pushed his employee mug towards me.

I glanced down at the creamy liquid and the ice that danced around in it. I took a sip.

"Mmm…" I moaned.

"Its hazelnut," Edward said with a smile.

"Its really good."

I spent the remainder of Edward's break with him before we kissed goodbye and I headed out to the market to pick up a few things. Back home, Charlie didn't question me, so I made an early dinner and called it a day.

Up in my room, I spent the next few hours listening to music and starting on some homework. I thought about Edward a lot and what he was about to face. I could sense a bumpy road ahead of us, but I wasn't afraid of it. I was actually anticipating this newly found road to recovery. I just hoped that it would go well for him.

I was so proud that he had actually taken the initiative to seek remediation for the mental damage I knew he felt. He had told me, just last night, that he was angry and resentful towards people in his life and he didn't understand why.

When 5pm rolled around, Edward finally called me.

"_I'm heading home,"_ he said. His voice was low and groggy, but still beautiful.

"How was work?"

"_Fine. Busy. People like their coffee on the weekends, apparently."_

I laughed. "Any interesting customers?"

"_Not really. Just the usual old guys and teenage girls."_

"Teenage girls, huh?"

"_Ooooh, yeah. They like to tease me and order complicated latte's."_

"Very funny," I hissed with mock annoyance.

He laughed_. "So what are you doing?"_

"Homework. Some of it, anyway."

"_Have you started on the reading list?"_

"Yeah. Well, I've already read _the Catcher in the Rye_, so now I'm starting on _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_. Have you started yet?"

"_Read it."_

"Really? What about _Catch 22_?"

"_Read it."_

"Liar."

"_I'm not lying."_

"You've seriously read it?"

"_Yeah, like two years ago."_

"Wow." I was honestly a little surprised.

"_It's a really good book. It's about a U.S. Air force captain and you follow him through World War two… I won't say much, but it's really good and its kind of funny at times too."_

"Cool." I couldn't keep the sourness out of my voice. "How about…" I glanced down the list. "_The Bluest Eye_?"

"_Haven't read it yet."_

"Ha! There's one," I teased.

I smiled from the sound of his deep chuckle.

"_Just got home_," he hummed into the phone.

I listened to him lock his car and the sounds of footsteps as he climbed the stairs to his front porch. I momentarily thought about the way he looked last night, jumping off of those porch stairs as he ran out to embrace me. It was on of the happiest moments of my life. The love I'd felt at that moment was so strong.

I felt myself smile.

"I miss you," I murmured.

"_Miss you too, baby." _

I heard some shuffling in the background and then a deep sigh from Edward. I imagined him collapsing onto his bed.

"_So, how's Charlie?" _he asked.

"Good."

"_I bet he's upset."_

"Yeah. How could he not be?"

"_What did you say to him when you got home?"_

"Something silly," I laughed.

"_Tell me."_

"I told him that… that I love you and that I had to be with you no matter what. I think he heard me out because he cares about me, but he honestly looked pretty pissed off. I guess I was acting pretty immature though. I didn't give him a straight answer."

"_Well, what did you say exactly? Did you talk about me?"_

"I just…" I sighed, feeling embarrassed. "I told him that I felt something inside of me that made me have to run over there and be with you."

"_Yeah… that doesn't sound very convincing."_

I chuckled. "I know. And then I said something about how what I feel is real and that love made me go because love can make you do crazy things."

"_Bella," _Edward chuckled into the phone._ "You sound like a kid who doesn't know what she's talking about."_

"I know," I exclaimed with my hands over my eyes. "I don't know what came over me. It was so stupid. I couldn't come up with a straight, mature answer. I keep replaying the conversation over and over in my head and I'm so upset that I didn't talk about what we mean to each other, our friendship, something worth defending. Instead I blabbered some crap and made myself sound like a little girl with a crush when you are so much more to me. I blame it on the lack of sleep."

"_Well, maybe you can try to explain yourself again." _

"I don't know, maybe. I feel so awkward around him now. Maybe its cause I'm embarrassed, and pissed that I can't really hang out with you after school anymore."

"_Is Charlie grounding you for life?"_

"Yes."

"_Really?"_

"I don't know," I sighed. "He's pretty upset, but I don't blame him."

"_Yeah, neither do I."_

We stayed on the phone for another hour talking about school and practice. We said a lot of 'I love you's and 'I miss you's and by the time we hung up, I was feeling as blue as the night sky.

I had a rough sleep that night, especially because I had spent the previous night in Edward's arms. I woke early and busied myself throughout the day with catching up on some reading and cleaning the house. Charlie was acting weird and a little distant with me, and I knew it was because I disobeyed him.

Monday couldn't come soon enough.

I dressed quickly in my school uniform and pulled my hair up into a messy bun before adding a little bit of eye makeup to cover the circles beneath my eyes.

Edward arrived fifteen minutes later.

I called out a quick, and awkward, goodbye to Charlie before I left. At least he hadn't forbidden me from driving to school with Edward.

"Hi," I said with a wide smile as I slid into Edward's warm Volvo.

He leaned over and kissed me hard on the lips in response.

Heat burned through my skin from the feel of his lips against mine. And then I was on him, clinging to his hair and shoulders and pulling him roughly towards me. I heard Edward gasp from my reaction to his kiss, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he knotted his fingers into my bun and wrapped his arm around my waist to pull me tight against his chest.

He held me for a moment, his lips and arms molded to mine before he finally released me.

"I think Charlie's watching us," he whispered hoarsely.

I blinked at him and then turned towards Charlie's house. Sure enough, I saw the curtain slide closed.

I blushed red hot, which made Edward chuckle, and then we headed off towards school. We were fairly early today, but instead of waiting in the car, we got out and walked hand in hand towards our English building.

"How was your night?" I asked.

"Lonely," he responded. "Yours?"

"Same."

I frowned and rubbed my forehead against his shoulder, which made Edward open his arm and pull me into his side. I wrapped my arms around his warm torso, inhaling his scent.

From the distance, I could see Mike and Jessica standing beside our first class.

"Hey man," Mike greeted Edward groggily.

"How was your weekend?" Jessica asked me.

"Fine," I lied. "How was yours?"

"Good actually. I worked on some of our cheers for the home game this Friday."

"Nice," I said with a small smile.

Our first few classes went by fairly quickly. In English, our teacher spent the hour talking about our reading list before discussing the first book we had to read during the semester, _The Catcher in the Rye_. My teacher spent most of the period engaging the class in various factors of the protagonist's personality, experiences, and passiveness. In many ways, when I read the book, I felt that I could relate to Holden. Maybe it was because of my age.

Politics and Trig dragged on slowly because I wasn't with Edward. I spent most of those two hours thinking about him, and nervously worrying about sixth period. I didn't know why I was so nervous. I guess I was just, hoping that his session would go well.

As soon as I walked into our Chemistry class I felt the sudden weight lift from my shoulders. Edward was sitting beside an open seat with a small smirk on his face as he watched me walk towards him. I spent our entire Chemistry class watching him, possessively analyzing the curve of his back as he hunched over and the way his hair fell over his forehead. It was getting so long.

And for some reason, my worries transformed into sexual fantasies. Everything Edward did looked erotic, the way he stretched, the way he chewed on the end of his blue pen. My gaze flickered over his arms beneath his white collared shirt. I could see the bulge of his muscles beneath the thin fabric. He had gotten so buff recently from all of the training he was doing for football.

I imagined whispering into Edward's ear, seducing him, convincing him to follow me into the girl's bathroom.

As if I'd spoken his name, Edward's head suddenly snapped up and he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. His gaze was steady and full of awareness. I momentarily wondered if maybe he could read my mind.

I blushed, feeling like I'd been caught.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward hissed under his breath.

"Nothing." I tried my best to look nonchalant as I looked away.

"Bullshit."

I flipped my hair over my shoulder, trying to hide my red face from him.

"Your body gives everything away," Edward whispered. "I know what you're thinking about."

I turned to glare at him, but I was met with a knowing smile on his perfect lips.

During lunch, I sat beside Edward at our table of friends, methodically going over possible scenarios of how his appointment with Dr. Aro might go.

"Are you nervous?" I whispered to him under my breath.

Edward frowned down at me, obviously confused.

"About your appointment," I clarified.

"Its not an appointment," Edward said with a smirk. "We're just gonna talk."

"Right, right," I said with a shake of my head.

Edward chuckled and nudged me softly on the shoulder.

"I'm nervous," I said.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just want it to go well."

"It will."

I nodded. "Is Coach Clapp cool with you possibly missing the first bit of practice?"

"Yeah. I talked to him already. Explained."

I nodded again, looking away. I glanced around our table of friends. Almost everyone had recently paired off. Alice and Jasper, Mike and Jessica, Eric and Angela, Tyler and Lauren.

My gaze lingered on Rosalie who sat a few people down from me. She wasn't sitting beside Emmett and she wasn't talking to them either. I frowned.

I had been so caught up with Edward and what we were going through, I hadn't been paying attention to my best friend. My gaze flickered over Rosalie and Emmett's body language. Both of them were facing away from each other and speaking to other people. Of course, this could mean something, but at the same time, it probably didn't mean anything at all.

The bell rang soon after and our entire group walked out towards the gym. I dressed quickly before meeting up with the rest of my classmates in the gym.

We had to play basketball today, which sucked. But luckily I had Edward on my team again. He stayed close to me and even tried to pass me the ball once, which was a complete fail. The ball bounced off of the tip of my fingers and off of the court. And in effort to try and catch it again, I tripped over my own feet and fell into a girl I didn't know.

The hour passed very quickly, and before I knew it, Edward was pulling me into a tight hug.

"I'll see you after practice," he murmured into my ear.

"Good luck," I whispered and then I let him give me a lingering kiss before he turned towards the boy's locker room.

During Cheer practice, our couch pushed us to learn many new routine moves for this Friday. The girls had to learn some new basket tosses and other various stunts while I spent the remainder of the hour working on a banner to welcome Toledo High School.

We spent our practice session inside the gym, while the football players were out on the field. I was worrying about Edward the entire time, and even made excuses to go to the bathroom or run errands just so that I could try to get a glimpse of him.

I felt relieved when I saw him running around on the field.

I was in the middle of letting some of my freshly painted letters dry when I turned over onto my back and starred up at the gym ceiling. There were some windows on the walls, high up and wide. I starred out at the sky, watching the clouds drift and create shapes. I could hear my teammates chanting and stomping and clapping beside me, a loud but comforting rhythm of sound. I didn't hear when the gym doors opened, nor did I notice the new wave of voice echoing in the gym.

I was lost in thought, gazing up and finding Edward's face in each of the clouds.

And then he was there, sweating and dirty and standing over me.

"Hey," he said with a smile.

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face in response.

"Nice banner," he added.

"Thanks," I giggled.

Edward turned and laid down on the gym floor beside me. He was watching me, his gaze flickering over my face.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. How was it? Was Dr. Aro kind to you? Was it what you expected? I knew they were only going to be discussing ethical codes and guidelines, but I couldn't help the curiosity radiating through me.

Knowing that my constant worry for him might cause some unwanted conflict, I pushed back the questions building within me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Practice is over."

"Is it?" I glanced around.

Sure enough, all of the girls were packing up their bags and heading out of the gym.

I turned back to Edward.

"Can I come over for a bit?" he asked softly.

I nodded enthusiastically.

Back at Charlie's house, Edward and I barely made it through the front door before our bags hit the floor, soon followed by our blazers. Our hands were needy as they raked over clothes and hair and finally skin. It was as if the past couple of days of wanting the comfort of each other had finally hit us with full force.

"Lets go upstairs," I gasped against his sucking lips.

Edward pulled me up into his arms and I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist as he turned to hastily jog up the stairs. I giggled from his excitement and the fact that I felt practically weightless in his arms.

But once we entered my room, all giggling ceased as his lips made contact with the flesh on my neck.

I moaned out and squirmed against him involuntarily as Edward made his way over to my bed. And just when he climbed onto it, I pushed myself off of him.

"What are you doing?" he asked confused. His voice was thick with lust.

"Get on your back," I gasped softly.

I watched Edward flip onto his back before kicking off his shoes and quickly pulling open the buttons on his collared shirt. I took the opportunity to pull off my hairband, my skirt, tights and shoes as well, leaving me bare in only my bra and panties.

And then I climbed onto his lap and hastily undid the button and zipper on his pants with shaky hands.

Once I had his pants open, I pulled them down past his hips and off his legs, bringing his underwear down with them. And then I took his long, proud erection into my hand.

"Fuck," Edward groaned huskily as soon as my fingers wrapped round him.

"Lay back," I responded.

I watched Edward hesitantly lean back onto my pillows as I crawled my way onto his thighs.

I pumped him slowly at first, twirling my fist over the precum before sliding my hand down his intimidating length. And then I put my mouth on him. I sucked on the flesh of his pelvis and upper thigh before I finally sucked the head of his cock into my mouth.

I felt him gasp and jerk slightly off of the bed as I sucked. But Edward didn't let me work him for long. He pulled me up and away from his body and flipped us over so that he was hovering over me, expressing his desire.

I felt my breath quicken and my body tremble when he began yanking my panties down my legs before greedily sucking on the concave curve of my belly, just under my ribs.

I groaned and arched against him, seeking more of his pleasurable warm wet tongue before he yanked my bra down and sucked one of my nipples in between his full lips, pulling and nipping at my flesh.

"God," I whimpered heavily.

Edward's hands moved over my rips and stomach and down my hips before roughly kneading his palm over my wet center, driving me crazy. I cried out when two of his fingers slid into me, preparing me for his dick. I pulled my legs further apart, relishing the feel of the ball of fire in my lower abdomen as my orgasm began to build.

"Condom," I gasped. "Please, I need you."

I watched through hooded eyes as Edward sat back and rummaged through my bedside table before he quickly removed a condom before sliding it down his dick. And then he was in me, filling me with one quick push before pulling out and then swiveling his pelvis against me as he thrust back in. The rhythm he created was slow and effortless at first, but our thrusting against each other soon grew feverish and wild.

And then I pushed him again, forcing him onto his back so that I could be on top.

At this angle, I took him in deeper as I started up a gradually building rhythm again. I moved above him slowly at first, learning how to roll my hips and move up and down in a way that felt good for both of us. And soon, I found it. I felt the spring in my lower abdomen tighten as I ground down onto him, rubbing my clit against his pelvis.

"Come on, baby," Edward groaned from beneath me.

His hands were fisted onto my ass, forcing me to roll my hips and move quickly over him as he thrust his hips upward against me. Soon, I began to wither against him. I felt his hand brush my hair out of my face before he hooked his fingers around the back of my neck, drawing me down for a deep kiss.

And then, spurred on by the sounds Edward was making and the fullness of him rubbing deliciously inside of me, I came with a wild cry against his mouth.

I trembled violently above him and braced myself with my hands on his chest as wave after wave of pleasure rolled through me, making my muscles contract and spasm around him.

And then Edward flipped us again, back into our original position so that he could move with force in and out of me. His thrusts became erratic and deep to the point where it was almost painful, but I welcomed it with passion and love.

He fucked me freely, swimming in his own pleasure and grunting with each thrust as his hands roamed hungrily over my breasts and ass until he finally found his release.

"Fuck, baby…" he gasped hoarsely above me. "I'm gonna come…"

I reached for him, pulling his hips into me and sucking on the thick muscle of his bicep until he finally came. I listened to him pant and moan thickly as a shudder raked through his body, making him spasm and throb inside of me.

"Shit," he panted softly.

And then his lips were on mine again, kissing sloppily and gently, mostly just feeling mine against his.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes, very."

Edward kissed me one more time, a lingering deep kiss, before he pulled himself out of me to relax on his stomach beside me.

We were quiet for a moment, both feeling tired with exertion and swimming in the aftermath of our mutual orgasms.

But though I felt physically relaxed and happy, my mind was working on a different frequency, wondering about Edward's meeting with Dr. Aro. I couldn't keep my questions as bay any longer.

"Hey," I said. "How was it… with Dr. Aro?"

"Fine," Edward murmured against my shoulder. "I'm gonna meet with her again tomorrow. She said that we could start off twice a week."

"Did you guys talk about anything?" I pressed.

"A little. She talked a little about herself, how she got into the profession, being a doctor and all that. She wants me to feel comfortable and open with her. She set some standards and talked a little about the purpose of therapy and why the decision I've made is a good one."

I give him a nod while I carefully absorbed his words.

"She said it was important for me to understand some ethical guidelines before beginning because it's in my best interest to be aware of her responsibilities, and my rights. I have a pamphlet in my bag."

"She sounds like she's really looking out for your well being, which is nice…" I offered.

"Yeah. It's weird because as soon as she began discussing her experiences and motivations to help young adults like me, I immediate began to trust her. It's so odd. I don't really trust people that easily."

I smiled.

"I told her a little about myself too. I talked about work and school… you."

"You told her about _me_?"

"Yeah and for some reason, it was so easy to. She made me feel comfortable and… safe."

I reached out and stroked my thumb beneath his left eye.

"I think its because of you," he whispered to me. "It wasn't until now that I've actually been able to speak to someone about… me."

"What do you mean," I asked.

"I tried to see a therapist once, but it didn't work out. It… I didn't feel comfortable. I felt like I was caged, like a stupid angry boy. Trouble."

I frowned.

"But I don't feel like that anymore," he continued. "I feel like this is gonna work. I feel… hopeful. Excited even. I don't want to be angry anymore."

I smiled at him, my surprise and excitement mirroring his.

Edward left my house a couple of hours later, just before Charlie came home. And then I spent the rest of the evening catching up on some reading.

Through out the evening, I kept having this weird feeling, like I had forgotten something. I rummaged through my backpack and even my gym bag before I texted Edward asking if there was something important I had forgotten. He responded with a "_No idea_."

I had some nightmares that night. One was about a woman standing in a corner surrounded by blood. I didn't know who she was and I couldn't see her face. The only thing I could see was her brown hair and pale skin. The other nightmare I had was the reoccurring one. The one from Port Angeles.

I awoke too early and stayed lying in bed for a whole hour, mulling over my nightmares and what they could possibly mean before I finally got up and took a shower.

It wasn't until I was under the soft hot stream, resting my head against the cool tile, when it finally hit me. It was the 10th, September 10th, three days away from my birthday. But that wasn't what had me suddenly wide-eyed and alert.

I pulled my hands up towards my face and began to count down.

"Thirty-seven days," I murmured to myself.

And then my heart rate began to pick up, an angry beat against my rips.

The realization almost knocked me off my feet. Thirty-seven days since my last period. I was eight days late.

My blood ran cold and I instantly shut the water off. I towel dried my hair and body with shaky hands before I made my way back to my room. I sat there for a moment with my comb in my hand, feeling frozen and lost.

_But it can't be,_ I thought to myself. _We're so careful. We always use condoms._

I thought back to when Edward and I had had sex without changing his used condom. But no, that was about two months ago.

A frightened shudder ran through my body before I began ripping my comb through my hair. I hastily went about my routine, in effort to distract myself. I blow-dried my hair, I did my make up, and got dressed and packed my backpack. I was on edge, trying to keep the inevitable mental breakdown from happening.

And when my phone suddenly rang from within my backpack, I almost completely fell apart right then. I jumped so violently; my heart almost came out of my throat.

"Hello?" I choked into the receiver.

"_Hey."_ It was Rosalie.

"Oh. Hi," I said, my heart finally slowing to a much more safe tempo.

"_You ok? You sound weird."_

"I'm fine."

"_Bella, what's wrong? What happened?"_ Rosalie tone was alarmed now.

I felt myself blush as I contemplated confiding in her.

"I think I'm pregnant," I blurted out in a hoarse whisper.

"_What?!"_

"I'm late. I'm like… seven or eight days late."

"_Jesus Christ."_

"I know. What the fuck am I gonna do?" I didn't even try to hide the quiver in my voice. I was in full-blown panic now, trembling and pacing in my tiny bedroom.

"_Have you been late before?"_

"No, I'm very regular. Always twenty-nine days."

"_Bella, you need to take a test,"_ Rosalie said. _"They have some in the health office at school."_

"Oh God," I moaned. "What if I'm pregnant, Rose?" Tears were coming now, invading my vision and making me trip over one of my discarded shoes.

"_Calm down, Bella," _Rosalie said soothingly._ "It could just be your hormones. Maybe you're stressed out or something."_

"Yeah," I murmured, suppressing a sob. "Yeah, maybe."

"_I can go with you to the health office if you want. We should go during lunch."_

"Ok," I sniffed.

After consoling me for about fifteen minutes, Rosalie told me that she had originally called because she needed to borrow some clothes for practice because she didn't have any clean ones. I told her I'd let her borrow some before we finally hung up.

Edward arrived shortly after and once I climbed into his car, he immediately knew that something was wrong.

"What happened?" he asked.

I blinked up at his stiff expression. His face was artificially calm, but I could see the anxiety in his eyes.

"Nothing," I squeaked.

"Bullshit."

"I um…" I gulped shakily. "I'm… I'm late."

"Late? Late for what?" he asked with desperation.

"No, I'm late. My period is late."

I watched as realization dawned on him. His eyes scanned mine, searching for the evidence of a joke, before they drifted down towards my tummy.

This wasn't a joke. I was dead serious.

"But we're so careful," he whispered to me.

"I know," I responded.

Edward looked just as freaked out as I felt.

"What are we gonna do?" Edward asked.

"Rosalie said that the health office has pregnancy tests. I'm gonna take one."

"Lets go," he responded. And then he pealed out of my driveway and sped towards school.

We were quiet during the entire drive, both feeling anxious and totally fucking freaked out. And when we got to school, Edward hastily climbed out of the car and pulled my door opened for me.

"What are we doing?" I asked as I scanned the parking lot. We were early.

"We're going to the health office."

"Right now?" The knots in my stomach tightened considerably.

"I don't want to wait until later to find out, Bella. We need to know now."

Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him towards the office. Once we were there, I asked to speak with the nurse, and then told her I needed a pregnancy test. She told me I was allowed to use the office bathroom, but I was too afraid to be alone.

"Can…" I murmured with red cheeks. "Can my boyfriend come in with me?" I asked.

The nurse gave me a stern look, but nodded.

I called Edward into the office and then blushed even hotter when he didn't refuse to go into the bathroom with me.

"I'll just… face the wall," he offered.

I watched him pull the strap of my bag over his shoulder before he turned towards the opposite wall. I had never pee'd in front of Edward, but I'd rather him be there with me, in the privacy of a bathroom while we waited for the test results.

I unwrapped the plastic stick before pulling my tights down.

Once I was done, I flushed and washed my hands.

The girl in the mirror didn't really look like me. She was too pale with wide frantic eyes.

I glanced at Edward's reflection above my head and I was surprised to see how suddenly calm he looked.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked nervously.

I wanted to know what it was that was helping him relax.

"I guess I'm thinking that… we could do this."

I blanched.

"I love you and I'll always love you," he whispered. "If… if this is real… if you're pregnant and if you decide to keep it… I guess what I'm saying is, I can handle it. I have a job, I'll drop football and pick up more hours, and I'll continue to go to school. I'll go to college. I can take care of us."

I felt tears burn my eyes as I studied his determined face.

"Edward…" I croaked. "We're so young. I don't think…"

"I know," he said reassuringly. And then he spun me so that I was facing him. "All I'm saying is, I support you. Whatever your decision might be. If you don't want to keep it, you don't have to. We are… so young, and so unprepared for this. But if you do want to keep it Bella, I'll be here. I'll support you."

Tears dripped freely from my eyes as I peered into his confident green gaze and absorbed his words. And even though what he was saying was making this whole situation much more real, and even though his words frightened me, in some ways they brought me comfort as well.

He was telling me that I wasn't in this alone. That he was in it with me, always. He wasn't going to back out or make me make a decision I didn't want to make. He was taking responsibility, supporting me.

Edward and I sat on the closed toilet for another five minutes. I was sitting on his lap, cradled in his arms until we finally decided to look.

"Are you ready?" he asked, reaching for the bit of plastic.

I swallowed thickly, my heart hammering angrily in my chest. I didn't really want to look.

Images of a baby boy with green eyes and bronze hair suddenly flashed before my eyes. I saw myself, pregnant at seventeen, and then eighteen with a baby with a baby in my arms, nineteen with a toddler. Edward was in my visions as well, holding me, holding our son. I've known for a little while now that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Edward, but having a baby so young was never my plan. But we could handle it, right? We could do it. Many people did. It would be hard, but not impossible. We could manage.

I felt so naive and young thinking about these things. It was obvious I wasn't ready. I just wasn't.

Edward took a deep breath before he gripped the test and turned it towards us.

It took a few moments for the evidence to sink in. I was stunned, frozen on his lap. The only thing that finally woke me up was Edward's deep sigh of relief and the rough kiss he placed on the side of my head.

"I'm not pregnant," I gasped. "I'm… not pregnant."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hi! I'm so sorry I've taken soooooo damn long to update. I've just started school again and already I have some homework, not to mention I work part time.**

**Anyway, what did you guys think? Let me know if there are any freakishly silly grammatical errors, because I'm sure there are some. ;)**

**Lordy, we are so close to the end. One or maybe two chapter's left! Ahhh! *sobbing onto my battered laptop***

**I want to thank you all, again, for hanging in there and staying with me from beginning to end. I love you all so much. Thank you for all of your kind words and your patience. And thank you all so much for reviewing. I read them all, even if I don't always respond. My story has almost reached 1000. Just a little over 100 more to go. WOW!**

**For all of my new readers, daaaang! I've got so many new readers recently. Thanks so much for reading and leaving reviews! They mean worlds to me. :D**

**Till next time. xoxo**


	40. Chapter 40: An Ending and New Beginning

**When Day Ends and Night Begins**

**A Twilight Fan Fiction**

**By Puppetstrings19**

**Disclaimer:**

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.**

**This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.**

* * *

**Chapter 40: An Ending and New Beginning **

"I just can't believe I'm not pregnant."

My voice was still shaky as Edward and I walked hand-in-hand towards our second period.

"Why?" he asked. "Aren't you glad?"

I turned to meet his curious gaze.

Yes, I was glad. Relieved. But… could it be true? What else could explain my late period?

The nurse had told me there were many other factors that could contribute to a missed period. Weight loss, stress, malnutrition. But honestly, I didn't feel I met any of the possible criteria. I wasn't under weight, I ate just fine. And I wasn't stressed… I didn't think.

I glanced over at Edward and studied his pursed lips. He was deep in thought.

"You know," I said, changing the subject. "I had a nightmare last night. Well, a few actually. Its how I realized I was late."

"What kinds of nightmares?" Edward responded. His frown deepened.

I waved his worried expression away.

"It was just about some woman and there was blood around her," I said. "I'm assuming the blood was a reminder of my monthly flow." I giggled.

Edward didn't laugh. He obviously didn't think my nightmare was at all humorous.

"What was your other nightmare about?" he asked seriously.

"Just some silly stuff. No biggie."

"Tell me."

"Its really nothing," I shrugged and then I reached for the handle to my Politics class.

But before I was able to grip the smooth metal, Edward tugged me away from the door.

"Bella," Edward said. "Talk to me."

His face was serious and a little sad. I couldn't understand his expression.

"There are things going on in there," he continued, gesturing to my forehead. "I want you to talk to me. It's your turn to let me in."

"It's nothing," I insisted. "Its just… sometimes I have some nightmares."

"Look, I don't want to make you uncomfortable… but I know you still have that nightmare, the one from Port Angeles, whether you want to admit it or not."

I glanced up at him, meeting his piercing green gaze before I looked away.

"Why wont you talk to me about it?" he continued.

"Cause there's nothing to talk about."

"What happens in your nightmare?"

I sighed and tried to pull away from him.

His hand slid forcefully around my shoulders before he pulled me to him, keeping me securely in his embrace.

"Talk to me," he urged.

"Nothing happens," I snapped into his shoulder. "I dream that I'm at the concert again, only it's not the Sunshine Underground song that plays anymore. Now it's… a different song. And I'm searching for you and I feel like I'm suffocated by the shadows. And Rosalie is there and she's trying to pull me away from the concert and she tells me 'Run, Bella. Run. He doesn't want you anymore.' And then Nina is singing and the guys form Port Angeles are there and they grab me and hurt me and …"

I clamp my eyes shut as stupid unwanted tears began to pool in my eyes. I can see the scene right in front of me, even in broad daylight. I can see the parking lot, see Rosalie's frightened face… Edward's retreating form. The images were burned into my memory as if they had actually happened.

Edward hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"And then you see me…" he said.

"And then I see you… but you walk away from me and you tell me that you don't want me anymore. You leave me. It's only then that I wake up…"

The silence that follows the end of my nightmare is like a thick cloud between us. I know I've hurt him.

"This is why I didn't want to say anything," I defend. "I don't want to make you feel guilty."

The whole thing was emotional for me and very hard to talk about. It was a mixture of two things that scared me the most. Being all alone in a dark unknown place with unseen horrors in the shadows… and Edward leaving me.

Yes… Edward leaving me is probably my worst nightmare.

"Bella." Edward's voice was soft and hesitant. "I don't really know what to say to make you feel better, but I want you to know that I would never do that to you. I would never put you in harms way."

I clamped my eyes shut as the tears began to drip.

"Look at me, baby," he said. And then he forced my chin up to face him.

I kept my eyes closed.

"I care about you so much, Bella," he whispered against my lips. "And I'm so sorry for what I did. I'm sorry that I lied to you that night at the beach, when I told you I didn't love you. But I promise you that no matter what, even if something happens between us, even if you push me away or don't want me anymore. If ever we were to break up again, God forbid, I would never leave you in a situation like that. I promise you that I would always be there to protect you."

I felt my lips tremble as my heart squeezed tight in my chest.

"Look at me, baby," he said again.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

He was starring down at me, his face only inches from mine. He didn't look sad or upset, only serious and determined.

"I love you," he said. "I love you so much and I need you to believe me when I say that I'll never leave you again. I'll never push you away again. I regret doing it once and I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

I nodded, my lips pursed tightly together. I was afraid that if I spoke I'd start outright sobbing.

"Baby, please," he pleaded. "Tell me you believe me."

"I believe you," I croaked, and then the sobbing came.

Edward pulled me tighter into his arms and held my shaking shoulders while I cried into his white shirt, smearing it with my black eyeliner and mascara.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," I gulped. "I'm such a mess lately."

"Maybe you're period is coming," he joked into my hair.

I giggled and pulled slowly away. Only Edward could talk about my period with such a straight face.

"I should probably make an appointment with Dr. Aro," I joked back. "I'm a mess."

I giggled again and wiped my eyes with the back of my wrist.

"You know," Edward murmured against my forehead. "That might not be a bad idea."

"Are you serious?"

"Kind of. I mean, you've been having this nightmare since it happened… and you're not getting your period. Maybe you're stressed out."

"I can still be pregnant," I said seriously. "The nurse said I shouldn't rule that out just yet."

"Yeah… but it can still be stressed related, Bella. I mean, with cheerleading, school, homework… me. I've given you a lot to worry about lately." Edward dropped his head slightly. "I'm sorry about that, by the way."

I rubbed my thumb along the rough edge of his prickly jaw in response.

"You should give her a chance," he continued. "Dr. Aro is really easy to talk to. And it might actually help with the nightmares."

I gazed into his eyes for a moment. There was nothing in them except love. I could feel his devotion.

"Ok," I agreed. "I'll do it. I can't see any harm in it."

"Of course not."

Edward embraced me one more time, pulling me to his chest so that he could give me a deep kiss. But just then, my classroom door banged open and there stood Mr. Jefferson, glaring down at us in his brown suite.

"Ms. Swan. Were you ever planning on coming to class?" Mr. Jefferson said.

I stood there, spluttering before Edward quickly pulled out our nurses pass.

"Sorry, Bella and I had an appointment this morning," Edward said firmly.

Mr. Jefferson took the note before ushering me inside.

When lunch finally rolled around, I was instantly bombarded by a very scared, and pissed-off looking Rosalie.

"Let's go," Rosalie hissed into my ear.

I was standing in the lunch line with Edward.

"Go where?" I asked.

"The nurses office," she snapped. "Come on."

Rosalie wrapped her small hand around mine and pulled.

"Oh… I already went," I responded sheepishly.

"What? When?"

"This morning, with Edward."

Edward threw a quick glance in my direction before turning back towards the front of the line. He was giving me some privacy.

"Well?" Rosalie's eyed were wide and earnest. "What's the verdict?"

"False alarm, I guess."

She sighed heavily. "I knew it! Jesus fucking Christ. You scared the shit out of me."

"Out of you?" I argued. "How do you think I feel?"

"_Feel_?" she asked skeptically.

"Rose, I still need to go back for a second test next week."

She studied me for a moment, her blue-green eyes darting across my face.

"It'll be fine," she said, optimistically.

"I know."

And I felt like for the first time in my life, I knew that no matter what, everything really would be fine.

I turned and glanced at Edward, at his beautiful profile as he piled food onto a single tray. This boy had proven so much to me today. His loyalty, his love, his support. He loved me and cared about me and I knew that no matter what, he'd always be there for me. Always.

During our free sixth period, I walked with Edward towards the nurse's office. He was supposed to have his second meeting with Dr. Aro today, and so I figured I should use that opportunity to set up an appointment, in person, instead of waiting for later.

We walked hand-in-hand through the campus and the blistering cold. And when we finally reached the nurses office, Edward made a right towards another door. On the frosted glass signage, just to the left of the door, was the name _Dr. Jane Aro, Ph.D Psychology, Ph.D Minor Statistics, B.A. English Literature._

Edward knocked.

"Come in?" a woman called from the behind the door.

Edward squeezed my hand and gave me an encouraging smirk before he pulled the door open.

"Edward," Dr. Aro greeted.

I studied her small frame as she stood to shake Edward's hand. She was tiny, about my height, or maybe even a little shorter. She was very thin and had shoulder length light brown hair, dark brown eyes and very pale skin. She was pretty, but kind of creepy looking at the same time. She looked like one of those Russian dolls. A Matryoshka. Her head was very round and her eyes were very wide. She looked like a child at first glance, but the slight laugh lines around her narrow lips gave away her age.

"Jane," Edward greeted with a smile. "This is my girlfriend, Bella."

"Oh," Dr. Aro said with a smile as she turned to me. "Bella, how nice to meet you."

I sensed a bit of an Italian accent.

"Hello," I said. "It's nice to meet you too."

"What can I do for you?" Dr. Aro asked me.

"Well… I um…" I didn't really know how to go about this.

Dr. Aro's gaze darted between Edward and I. I imagined seeing myself through her eyes. Small, my head barely reaching Edward's shoulder, as I hid nervously behind him. This wasn't how I wanted my first impression to go.

I stepped forward.

"You see," I began. "Edward and I went to a concert with our friends a while ago. I… we came across a kind of… confrontation and ever since then I've been getting this nightmare. I don't know if it means anything, but it doesn't seem healthy to hold on to this private issue. So, I guess I was wondering if… you know, if you have time… if maybe you'd be able to talk to me about it? You know, for my peace of mind."

Dr. Aro studied me for a moment before offering me a slow nod.

"Yes," she said. "Of course, Bella. I'd love to help."

Dr. Aro offered me a seat across from her before she began pulling out manila envelopes and various forms.

"I need a parental permission form?" I asked, horror stricken.

Dr. Aro met my gaze.

"Not if you don't want to," she responded.

I instantly relaxed.

"There are various rules and regulations, some ethical guidelines we will need to cover before we get started," she continued. "Are you free this Friday?"

I frowned.

"Actually," I said as I gestured towards Edward with my thumb. "We have a game this Friday. I'm a cheerleader."

"Alright. How do you feel about… Tuesday next week?"

"That's fine," I responded.

Dr. Aro handed me some forms to read and some Terms of Agreement. And then she sent me on my way. I gave her one last handshake before offering a small kiss on Edward's cheek.

"I'll see you during practice," I whispered to him.

He smiled back at me before kissing me fully on the lips.

My face was as red as a tomato as I left Dr. Aro's office.

Practice flew by very quickly and before I knew it, I was back home alone. Edward told me he had a lot of homework to do and some reading to catch up on. I thought it was strange, considering he'd already read most of our reading list, but I didn't bother him about it. I had some homework to do as well.

I spent the next couple of hours at the kitchen table going over notes for my Politics class and starting on some Math homework before I finally took a break and started on dinner.

I decided on steak stir-fry.

I was halfway through chopping the vegetables when I realized we didn't have any rice, bread or potatoes to eat with the meat.

I groaned loudly before pulling on my hoodie and digging some cash out of the 'food money' jar.

I spent longer than necessary at the market than I should have. I took my time browsing through bags of beans and various selections of rice and potatoes. I decided on buying some white jasmine rice and some golden potatoes for dinner. And when I finally paid for the food and left the market, the sky was already darkening.

It felt nice to be out in the cool brisk air. Because Charlie had been keeping me hostage for the past week, I was suddenly able to appreciate the night sky.

I stared up at the rolling clouds for a couple of minutes. I couldn't really see any stars, but the clouds still looked beautiful just the same. I glanced around the parking lot, at the slippery wet asphalt and the bright green trees that towered over every building. It was beautiful in Forks.

I took the long way home.

I drove down various streets, familiarizing myself with the local twists and turns of Forks, when I came across an unfamiliar path. I took it. It was a wide rode with many twists and turns. It was kind of dark, twilight, but the trees and flowers that lined the road glowed wild with life and were lovely to look at.

I giggled and continued on.

I had only been driving for about five minutes when I went over a sudden bump in the road. A loud screech came from the right side of my truck before my tires began to skid and my steering wheel began jolt left and right out of my hands. I knew what had happened before I even pulled over.

I pulled to a stop along the right shoulder before I hoped out and rounded the truck.

"Fuck," I hissed into the night, my breath coming out in a soft white puff.

My tire was flat.

I glanced around the deserted highway, suddenly feeling very lost and alone.

I turned back to the truck and hopped in. I didn't bother cutting the engine. It was too cold to worry about wasting gas, let alone the battery.

I pulled my phone out of my sweatshirt pocket and dialed the first number that came to mind.

"_Hey,"_ Edward answered smoothly.

"I have a flat tire," I responded instantly.

"_A flat tire?"_ Edward laughed. _"Where are you?"_

"Um… I'm… I'm not sure."

"_You're not at home?"_

"No, I had to go to the market and then I decided to take a drive."

"_And now you're lost?"_

"I'm not lost, I just don't know what street I'm on." I sat up onto my knees and peered around through my cab windows.

Edward sighed deeply.

"_Ok,"_ he said sternly. _"Does Charlie know where you are?"_

"No."

"_Have you called him?"_

"No."

"_Why not?"_ Edward asked bemused.

"I don't know. You're the first person I called."

"_Are you serious? Your dad's the chief of police. Why didn't you think to call him?"_

"No idea. Look, its really cold and I'm all alone. Are you gonna help me or not?"

Edward chuckled at the sassiness in my tone.

"_I've just pulled my shoes on," _he said. _"Do you remember the last street you were on?"_

"_Cedar Avenue_, maybe?"

"_Bella, I need you to think. How am I supposed to find you if you don't know where you are?"_

"I was on _Cedar_, ok? And then I made a left onto a side street. It looked pretty deserted and unfamiliar…"

"_So you thought it would be a good idea to go explore it,"_ Edward finished for me.

"Exactly," I snapped.

"_Awesome. I know where you are; I'll be there in a few. Do you need me to stay on the line with you?"_

"No, I'm fine," I said, rolling my eyes.

"_Ok. Lock your doors."_

"Bye."

I closed my phone and sat there in silence for few minutes before I decided on calling Charlie. He answered on the third ring.

I told him what had happened and where I thought I was. He was royally pissed off… again… and scolded me for a half hour before he told me he was leaving the station and heading over. I didn't bother telling him that Edward was on his way as well.

When Edward finally showed up, he parked his Volvo behind my truck and trudged over to the driver's side carrying a large metal tool shaped like an X and another metal contraption on wheels.

"What are those things?" I asked as I shut off the engine and climbed out of the truck.

"Are you serious?" Edward asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"Bella, have you ever seen anyone change a tire before?"

"Nope," I said with a smile.

Edward chuckled at my expression before he placed the tools on the floor. And then he turned back towards his car, opened his truck, and retrieved a flashlight. I watched as he bent beside my truck before peering beneath it before he slid the metal contraption underneath it.

"This is a Jack," Edward said, gesturing towards the metal thing on wheels.

He explained that the Jack mount was used to raise the vehicle so that we could change the tire. Then he reached for the X shaped thing and told me that it was a Lug Wrench, used to loosen the bolts on the tires.

I stood back and held the flashlight while Edward worked. He moved quickly and effortlessly as if he'd done it many times before. And I had to admit, he looked hot doing it.

"This is fun," I said with a smile.

Edward glanced up at me from his hands and knees where he pumped the rod of the Jack up and down. His eyes were glowing a brilliant green from the flashlight.

"Easy for you to say," he teased. "You're not the one working."

"Have you done this many times?"

"Enough. Living here, its easy to get a flat."

I laughed and nodded when a sudden pair of bright headlights flashed across the road. I recognized the headlights before I even saw the car.

Charlie parked behind Edward before quickly making his way towards us.

"I was just about to call your buddy Sam," Charlie said to Edward, "But I see you've already got this under control."

Edward stood up to face Charlie.

They stared at each other for a minute, an unspoken exchange passing between them. Then Charlie gave a small nod before patting his hand twice on Edward's shoulder.

"Thanks for being here, kid," Charlie said.

"Of course, Charlie," Edward responded.

And then, just like that, the exchange was over and they both got back to work.

I stood aside with the flashlight in my hands as I watched as my father and my boyfriend work together to change my ruined tire. They talked about work, school, and the football game coming up this Friday before they finally turned to tease me about how Friday was also my birthday.

I smiled and let them joke around. I even laughed when they said they were going to buy me flowers and candy with big pink balloons and teddy bears. I couldn't bear to break their sudden bubble of happiness with my distaste for attention. Seeing them together talking and laughing was worth all of the silly pink teddy bears in the world.

"So, you comin' over for dinner?" Charlie asked. "Bell's making steak stir-fry and potatoes." Charlie finished his statement with a very enthusiastic rub to his stomach.

I laughed.

"Sure," Edward agreed. "I'll come over for a bit."

The three of us exchanged a few 'see you in a minute's before we turned towards our designated vehicles.

"Don't go cruising around streets you're not familiar with," Charlie snapped before I had a chance to climb into my truck. "I don't want you getting lost again on some random highway by yourself. And you don't even have your mace on you. You know what could have happened?"

"I know, dad, I'm sorry," I groaned. "But can't you yell at me at home? Its cold."

Charlie rolled his eyes before turning back towards his cruiser.

Back at home, Charlie and Edward sat in the living room to watch the end of a baseball game while I hung out in the kitchen preparing dinner.

I drifted over towards the living room every once in a while; simply to eves drop on their conversation. They spent most of the hour talking about various players and who they would like to have on their team if ever they were to be ball players.

"We should start up a fantasy baseball league," Charlie offered.

"Yeah, we should. Carlisle and Emmett would be willing. Maybe even Mike Newton," Edward added with a nod.

"And a few of the guys from the station would too."

I snorted softly to myself. Fantasy baseball, what a nightmare.

"You planning on playing football in college?" Charlie asked.

"I think so," Edward responded.

"You should look into some scholarships," Charlie suggested.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Have any schools in mind?"

"A few. Originally, I was planning on moving back to Chicago to go to school. I had my eye on Northwestern for a time."

I frowned. This was news to me.

"Chicago, huh?" Charlie released a low whistle.

"Yeah, but you know how it is… things change," Edward said. "Plans change."

"Yeah? And why's that?"

Edward turned and glanced at me over his shoulder.

I blinked, stunned by the discreet look in my direction.

Charlie's gaze flickered to me before he turned back to Edward.

"I see," Charlie said. "Chicago's a long way away."

The conversation ended there, followed by mutual silence.

I took that as my cue and I left the living room to finish up dinner.

As I stirred to combine the onions, peppers, meat and seasonings, I thought about what Edward had said about Northwestern.

I knew that he wanted to move out of Forks. He had told me so once, a while ago when we were sitting alone in his car. He told me that he had planned on leaving Forks one day. At the time, I assumed it was because he was running away. But… if he were running away, wouldn't he want to run away from his hometown?

I thought about what it must mean to him to go back to Chicago. And as I thought this over, I even considered the possibility of going with him.

"Psh," I scoffed at myself.

As if I could ever get into Northwestern University.

But even as I served three plates of food, the idea still wasn't far from my mind.

The next couple of days passed in blur.

School was busy, but not as busy as practice was for us cheerleaders and the football players. Edward was getting out of practice feeling tired and sore every evening. But still, he continued to come over a few hours each night to spend some time with Charlie and I.

Ever since my flat tire, the two of them had gone back to their familiar relationship. Sure, I was still grounded and so Edward couldn't stay over past 8, but the atmosphere inside my house was so much lighter. Charlie and I were talking again, and I even took a few moments to apologize to him properly for sneaking out of the house last week. I knew it was wrong and disrespectful, and I told him so.

Charlie forgave me and told me to remember that I was still his sixteen-year-old daughter. But he chuckled and added 'seventeen' under his breath.

Friday morning, I woke up bright and early with the smell of something burning wafting through the house. I scrambled out of bed, worried that the house was probably on fire as I made my way down the stairs.

I found Charlie in the kitchen with a towel slung over his shoulder, attempting to cook.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a chuckle.

Charlie turned and offered me a wide smile.

"Happy Birthday, Bell!" he called out.

I laughed and shook my head.

"Hungry?" he asked. "I made breakfast."

I moved towards the stove. Sure enough, the bacon looked very dark and toasty, but luckily the eggs looked nice and fluffy. I pursed my lips, fighting hard to stifle my laughter.

"What?" Charlie snapped. "At least I know how to make eggs."

"It looks great, dad. Thanks."

I sat with Charlie and ate a delicious serving of eggs and over cooked bacon before I rushed up stairs to get ready for school. Because today was our home game, I made sure to dress in my cheerleading uniform before pulling my teal blazer over my shoulders. I did my makeup, and even put my hair up and tidy ponytail. The bow, however, would have to stay nestled in my bag until later.

After I packed my backpack and gym bag, I made my way downstairs to meet Edward. But once I reached the kitchen I was faced with a large gift surrounded by three pink balloons on the kitchen table.

"What's this?" I asked in shock.

"I told you I was getting you balloons," Charlie said with a smirk.

We both broke out into a fit of laughter, both of us enjoying the comical scene. Charlie and I were too much alike. We didn't care for decorations or silly balloons. However, the gesture was still so sweet, it actually brought tears to my eyes. Tears not brought on by the hysterics.

I stopped laughing and allowed myself to truly absorb the scene before me. Charlie standing beside a purple and silver wrapped box, surrounded by three very pretty pink balloons.

"Dad, this is…" I began.

"I know, Bell. Its hilarious," he laughed.

"No," I argued with a small shake of my head. "Its really nice, dad. Thanks for doing this for me."

I watched Charlie's smile slowly curve into one of gratitude.

"Come here, kid," he said. And then he pulled me in for a tight hug.

"You coming to the game?" I asked into Charlie's chest.

"Yup," Charlie said. "Gotta support my daughter and her boyfriend, don't I?"

I laughed, shaking my head.

Edward arrived fifteen minutes later and he even jumped out of his car to help me push my bags into his back seat.

"Is this new?" Edward asked, eyeing my new AmeriLeather backpack.

"It was a present from Charlie."

"Happy Birthday," he said softly to me.

I giggled and glanced up at him.

His smile was wide and eager as he peered down at me.

"Sweet seventeen," he added. And then he threw his arms around my waist before crushing his lips to mine.

His kiss was deep and eager and delicious. Exactly what I wanted for a birthday present.

"I love you, Isabella Swan," he whispered against my mouth.

"I love you too, Edward Cullen," I responded.

Our classes went by fairly quickly. Everyone was excited about our first home game and during my walk from class to class; I caught glimpses of many kids wearing teal and white war paint on their faces. I laughed and offered my thumbs up at people, especially when I caught a glimpse of the number 20 on someone's cheek or the word _Trojans_ on another.

The entire school was full of excitement throughout all of my first four classes and the cafeteria was even worse by lunch.

What was even more awesome, no one, except Edward and I, knew that today was my birthday.

"I have a surprise for you," Edward whispered in my ear as we stood in the crowded lunch line.

"A surprise?" I asked skeptically.

Edward gave me an encouraging smile.

When we reached the front of the line, I watched as Edward piled on two hamburgers, two fries, two cokes and a handful of napkins before grabbing forks and a knife.

"A knife? Really? Maybe you've forgotten, Edward, but I eat hamburgers the same way you do."

Edward chuckled at my statement before paying for our food, a gesture he'd been doing ever since we started school again.

Once our food was paid for, Edward took my hand pulled me towards the cafeteria doors.

"Where are we going?" I asked surprised.

"To our spot by the parking lot," he said.

I giggled and followed after him.

We walked quickly through he tall trees before finally finding the small clearing, only today, the clearing wasn't exactly empty.

There, sitting right in the middle was a familiar pink blanket.

Rosalie's blanket.

I turned towards Edward in questioning.

"Come," he said, the wide crooked smile still plastered across his face.

I took a seat on the blanket and waited while Edward placed the tray down beside me before pulling his backpack from his shoulders. And then, very carefully, he removed two packages.

One was in a small brown box and the other was wrapped in lavender wrapping paper.

"Happy Birthday, baby," Edward said as he handed me the two packages.

"You really didn't have to do this," I said as a warm blush crept up my face.

"I wanted to," he responded.

I nodded and opened the first package. The lavender one.

Inside was a thin clear case with a single silver disk.

"They're songs," Edward said. "Songs that… are about you."

I glanced up in surprise.

"You… you wrote them?" I asked.

Edward nodded. I watched as slight flush of pink slowly covered his cheeks.

"Edward," I gasped.

"Tell me you love them _after_ you listen to them," he laughed.

I giggled and tucked the clear case safely into my bag before I turned to the second package.

I carefully removed the silky lavender bow and then opened in. Inside was a glass container, and inside the glass container was a small white cake with the words _Happy Birthday Bella _sprawled clumsily over it.

Tears burned in my eyes as I peered down at the obviously hand made cake.

"Esme helped me," Edward said. "It's chocolate with a cream cheese frosting."

I sniffed and quickly wiped the fallen tear from my cheek.

"This is great, Edward," I said softly. "Thank you."

I felt his hand softly caress the bottom of my chin before he tilted my head up towards him.

He didn't say anything as he gazed down at me. He just stared, his eyes roaming every inch of my tear stained face before he dipped his head and kissed me. His kiss was soft and tender, as he sucked on my lips and hummed into my mouth.

"Candles," he suddenly said as he pulled away.

And then he cleared his throat while he pulled a small 1 and a small 7 from his backpack.

He took the cake from me and removed the lid before sticking the two candles into the frosting and lighting them with his black Bic lighter.

"Are you going to sing for me?" I asked with a scratchy giggle.

"Yes," Edward responded before he quickly cleared his throat.

"Happy birthday to youuuuu…" he sang goofily. "Happy birthday to youuuuuuu… Happy birthday dear Bellllaaaaa… Happy birthday tooo youuuu!"

I laughed hysterically and swatted Edward's hands away when he pulled his phone out to take a picture of me. And then I leaned forward and blew out my candles.

"And many moreee…!" Edward continued.

I shook my head and watched as he snapped a few more shots before scrolling through his phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You'll see," he said.

I watched as he clicked a few things before he sat his phone down on a nearby rock.

A smooth acoustic guitar followed by a harmonica played through his speakers. At first I thought it was a Bob Dylan song, but I soon discovered it wasn't.

"Come here," Edward said as he reached for my hands.

I took his and allowed him to pull me to my feet.

He took a few steps away from our blanket before placing my hands around his neck while wrapping his around my waist.

And then we were dancing, moving slowly from side to side against each other.

"Who's this?" I asked softly against this shoulder.

"Do you like it?" He asked in response.

"I do."

"It's Niel Young. _Heart of Gold_."

"Why this song?" I asked.

"It… it reminds me of you, Bella. Or rather, the person you've made me. The person I've become."

I frowned, confused by his statement.

"This song is about a man of virtue, with good intentions who hasn't actually gotten around to acting upon them. He hasn't found peace with himself. He's searching for the meaning of life, and yet he can't ever find it. He's searching for a heart of gold."

"Are you saying that, in some ways, this song reflects who you are?" I asked.

"Who I _was,_ before you. Who I was when I met you. Its because of you, Bella, I've found my heart of gold. _You_ are my heart of gold. You're my meaning of life."

I closed my eyes, letting his words sink in.

"What did you wish for?" he asked softly.

I sniffed and wiped the fallen tear away from my eye.

"Nothing," I answered.

"Nothing?" he asked.

I felt Edward pull away slightly so that he could peer into my face.

I looked up at him, allowing all of the love and happiness to flow freely from my face and heart.

"Nothing," I said again. "Because it has all come true. I'm so happy, right here, right now. There's nothing more I could ever ask for. I love you, Edward. I'll love you forever, for the rest of my life."

I watched a small smile pull at Edward's lips before he bent to kiss the tears away from my cheeks.

And then he leaned down and pressed his warm lips against mine once more.

**9 Months Later**

"Over the four years of our high school experience, we have overcome great obstacles and have exceeded all expectations." Jessica Stanley's voice rang out from the podium. "As a class, I believe our greatest accomplishment is our unity as a school, the amount of graduates we have, and the culture we've created this year. We have made it a place of pride, spirit, acceptance and support. Many of us have reached unimaginable heights, and will be venturing off into a new world and a new life. In front of me, I see faces of greatness. I see artists, scientists, doctors, lawyers, musicians, and soon to be professional athletes. Set your sights high, fellow graduates and I'll see you on the flip-side!"

Everyone around me, including myself, erupted into an outpour of screams and hollers.

"Congratulations class of 2014. This is only the beginning."

I felt Rosalie's hand tighten around mine as we sat up and tossed our caps into the air.

Finally, the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

I turned towards my best friend and gave her a tight hug.

"I love you so much, Rose," I said through the sudden lump in my throat.

"Promise me you'll text me every day," she choked back.

"I promise. Every day."

I held her for a moment, savoring her warmth. The girl who had been there for me ever since my first day at Forks High. She'll always have a little piece of my heart with her.

When I finally released Rosalie, I turned and began hugging all of the friendly faces I was going to leave behind. Alice, Jessica, Angela, Carmen, Bree, Tanya, Kate, Irina… and Tyler, Mike, Emmett, Jasper, Eric, Austin, and Kirk. People who have made my high school experience one that I would never forget.

But as I finished my last hug, I turned in search of one particular man. The man who I was going off to college with. The man I was leaving this all behind with.

Edward.

"Hey you," Edward said as he moved towards me. "Congratulations, high school graduate."

He ran his hands through my hair before cupping my head and bringing my lips to his.

"Charlie's waiting," he murmured.

"Ok," I responded.

I let Edward lead me away from the crowd of screaming graduates and out towards our family.

I embraced Charlie immediately, throwing my arms around his neck and allowing him to hug me close.

"I'm so proud of you, Bell," he said into my hair.

"Thanks, dad," I chocked out.

I let him hold me for a moment before we turned towards the Cullen's. Esme was the first to congratulate me, followed closely by Carlisle.

"Congratulations, Bella," Carlisle said with a wide exuberant smile.

He had his arm slung over Edward's shoulders, his hand rubbing lovingly along his son's arm.

We hung around with our parents for a few more minutes before Edward quickly ushered me away.

"We have some plans," Edward said to Esme, Charlie and Carlisle.

Charlie released a booming laugh before waving us away.

With that, Edward and I turned, hand-in-hand and dashed out of the gym and towards the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" I asked with a giggle.

"To lunch," Edward said with wide smile.

We pulled off our teal gowns and threw them into his back seat before climbing into his Volvo. And then we were off, hitting the 101 and making our way towards Port Angeles.

"That was a pretty good speech, don't you think?" I asked.

"Jessica kicked ass," Edward agreed. "It was a little cheesy, but with an ending like that…" Edward released a low whistle, a habit picked up from Charlie.

"I can't believe we finally graduated," I mused. "It feels like years ago when we actually started applying to colleges and stuff."

"Yeah," Edward agreed.

I turned and caught him smiling down at me. His eyes were soft and full of his unspoken love and admiration. I smiled back, knowing and feeling his excitement.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to Barbara's.

"Barbara's!" I exclaimed. "We haven't been here in forever!"

We climbed out of Edward car and quickly made our way over towards the waitress. And then once we were seated, we both ordered the Chicken Parmesan and two cokes, with a slice of chocolate cake for dessert.

"God, I forgot how awesome this place is," I said, looking around and the wire statues and glinting Christmas lights.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Edward said suddenly. His gaze was on me.

"Doing what?" I asked confused.

"Leaving. Moving to Chicago. Going to Northwestern University."

"Oh… that."

"Yes, that." Edward paused for a moment. "Are you nervous?"

"I am," I answered honestly. "I can't help but be a little nervous, but I'm still very, very excited."

"This is gonna be great," Edward continued. "You've got your grant, an English and American Literature major…"

"And you with your full football scholarship," I added exuberantly.

"And you with your part time job in the campus library… I still can't believe you got that job, actually," he added.

"When somehow you landed a job at a local coffee shop, _Signor Barista_?"

"And with a little financial aid and little help from my parents, we're able to fly out there in two days, just in time for orientation," Edward finished.

"Its really happening," I added, bewildered.

"It really is."

"College…" I continued.

"Football…"

"Homework…"

"Dorm rooms…"

"Secret study halls…"

"Us… together." Edward's teasing smile slowly turned serious.

"Together."

Edward gazed at me for a moment in that familiar way, as if he was trying to memorize my face at that very moment.

"Just you and me, Bella," he said. His voice was deep, like honey running down my spine. "You and me."

"You and me."

"Are you sure I'm enough?" he asked, teasing me again.

"Yes," I said seriously. "Enough for forever."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Gah! So… I guess this is the end, guys. BUT I DON'T WANT TO SAY GOODBYE! :'( **

**I hope I did well. I hope I ended this in a way that made you all feel good and happy and not completely dissatisfied or underwhelmed with the way it went. **

**Anyway, Thanks so much for staying with me, for reading, reviewing, and being totally awesome readers. I LOVE YOU ALL! It was such an enjoyable ride for me. It's the first story I've written all the way through, from beginning to end. I hope you all loved reading it as much as I loved writing it. (Let me know if there are stupid grammatical errors. Lol)**

**As far as future stories go, I have two right now and have been working on some drafts. One is again going to be about high school students, set in Chicago with similar themes (an E/B Pov), and the other is about a man, a criminal, who used to work for an organized crime group (E Pov with possible chance of B Pov). So, follow me so that you can get my updates and maybe have a read? ;) I'm also considering getting a Beta because editing my own stories is such a fucking pain in the ass. Lol So if you'd like to recommend someone, please do. :D**

**I AM planning on maybe doing a sequel to this story, College E/B. But I still need to work out all of my plans before I start posting. **

**Also, I've recently created an account on FictionPad just in case this, or any of my other/future stories get pulled. My username is PuppetStrings19 on there as well.**

**Till next time. xoxo**


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